<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Beholden by DeepShadows2</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198992">Beholden</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepShadows2/pseuds/DeepShadows2'>DeepShadows2</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Blood, F/M, Post War AU, Smoking, Vampires, ominous october fic, post-war AU</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-25</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 17:20:55</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>26,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27198992</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeepShadows2/pseuds/DeepShadows2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Due to circumstances, she will not reveal to him, Severus has realized that something happened to Professor Granger over the summer holiday. She is secretive, reclusive, and not her normal annoying boisterous self. If that wasn’t enough to raise his suspicion, Granger came to him with a strange request before the school year began, citing it was for a friend she was helping. What sort of friends was Granger keeping if she needed to have a blood supplement in these volumes?</p><p>Written for The Severus Snape &amp; Hermione Granger Shipping Fan Group Facebook Page and Discord's Ominous October Write-in</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Hermione Granger/Severus Snape</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>143</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>323</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Collections:</b></td><td>His is the Snark That Heals and Hers is the Heart That Holds, Ominous October</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>All the love to CorvusDraconis who went behind me and fixed some glaring errors! &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He leaned his head back against the chair that he’d transfigured, his feet kicked up on a bannister. Severus was enjoying the setting sun on another long summer afternoon. Perched on the fourth-floor balcony over the transfiguration courtyard, he could see the ground and the lake from this vantage point. Preferring the peace and quiet, Severus had spent much of the summer here.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>One week.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>One more week until the castle's solitude would be breached and overwhelmed by the cajoling and keening of magical children.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus took a long draw from the cigarette he held between his fingers, letting the smoke sink into his lungs and burn. Exhaling through his nose, the grey haze lifted up to the sky away from him. It took with it all his tension and worries for the new year, all the concern he had for anything but this moment.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>One more week.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He found that since the war had ended, summer was something he relished. Before, it had been the busiest time —  when he would be forced to sweep back and forth over enemy lines and try to stay alive. Now, he had no obligations, no appointments, no secrets to keep but his own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tucked the fag between his lips and inhaled, the burning ember brightening with the pull of air. Severus was beholden to none, and while it had its moments of obscene boredom, it afforded him a chance to hold what he considered a normal life. Severus ate when he wanted and slept when he wanted, all without the worry or concern that Severus would be yanked to some unsavory task. If he chose to go out and enjoy a hedonistic night, there was no apprehension that he’d be sending some poor fool to their death should they be discovered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sword of Damocles no longer dangled over Severus’s head.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A throat cleared behind him breaking him from his musings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus jerked his head toward the doorway, having not heard a single soul move in this direction. His eyes narrowed at being disturbed. He had hoped that it was clear to anyone in the castle that Severus did not want to be bothered unless there was an unavoidable emergency. He was officially off duty until the very first day of term, and he’d thought everyone knew that. However, this interloper was one likely to ignore the implied desire for privacy on the sheer principle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Professor Granger.” He drew on the title with the displeasure of her invasion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bushy-haired professor clasped her hands in front of her like an errant schoolgirl being caught out of bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I apologize for my intrusion—” Her nose crinkled and he watched her eyes fall upon the cigarette between his fingers. “—however, I had something important to ask you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sensing her displeasure, Severus took his time to inhale again from the smoke, slowly exhaling it. “Is it a school matter? If it is, I am </span>
  <b>not</b>
  <span> interested until we are officially back on Monday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brown eyes closed, as if in a moment of restraint and then fluttered opened. Granger shook her head at him. “It is not, it is a personal matter, and I would like to ask a favour of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she had his attention because he wondered what she thought put her in a position to ask anything of him. The life debt that he had to her was something they never spoke of, and he wondered if she had come to collect. So much for not being beholden to anyone. That was still one sizable obligation that had yet to be resolved. He slammed his feet down on the stone, turning in the seat so that he could better look at her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that so?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched as her fingers seemed to twitch in the clasp in front of her. Aside from her hands, however, she was very still. Each breath seemed as if it was focused on and controlled. Something was off about the woman, but he didn’t quite know what it was. He didn’t quite care either since she was interrupting his solitude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, Severus, I find myself in need of your skills.” The younger woman explained. She did not step into the afternoon light but seemed to be hovering in the shadow of the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made sure that every word dripped with sarcasm.“And what skills are those? Surely the</span>
  <em>
    <span> brightest witch of her age</span>
  </em>
  <span> can do anything I can with ease?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know how—” She stopped herself, on hand coming up to pinch her nose, “ — that would have been a </span>
  <em>
    <span>foolish</span>
  </em>
  <span> question, of course, you do. Would you be willing to brew Dumsanguis for me? An associate of mine is in desperate need, and for reasons I am bound to not disclose, I cannot brew it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus took in the final drag from the cigarette, crushing it between his fingers as he regarded her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was not a simple request and it set several red flags up in his mind. The brew in question was a supplement for those that needed blood to survive. It would extend the time required between getting actual blood into their system to let them live a reasonable everyday life. He narrowed his eyes, exhaling as he took to his feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And why, Miss Granger, would you come to me when it is something readily available to be purchased for someone who is, as you say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperate</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” He towered over her, crossing his arms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione Granger’s pupils dilated and she took a cautious step back. “They are scared and in their first year. I am helping them to cope until they have better control.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While it pleased him that she still took a hesitant step back from him, it did not settle the concern he had with this request. Granger did not seem the type to get mixed up with what one might consider dark creatures, and those that subsisted on blood were often categorized as that. “What manner of company, dare I ask, you are keeping? Vampire, kappa, something else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Vampire</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He watched as she took in a deep breath, steadying herself with closed eyes. “Newly turned. They aren’t dangerous, and they aren’t here at the school. I have them someplace safe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Impressed only slightly that she had covered his next question, Severus looked down at her with a raised eyebrow. “So that rules out a student. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Why</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you helping them?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger shook her head vigorously, her eyes meeting his. “I cannot answer that. I am bound to secrecy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was the final flag. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus was not about to get wrapped up in some manner of dangerous intrigue that the Golden Girl had tied herself to. He was just enjoying the fact that he was beholden to none with no obligations. He was not about to entangle himself again. Unless she specifically called in her debt, then he would have no part of it. “Then, I cannot help you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something changed as soon as the words left his lips. Granger’s face fell first into disappointment and then he watched as something else flashed behind brown eyes. It was dangerous, almost like a quiet rage. It was gone in an instant and he hardly had time to ask her about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I don’t know where else to turn. I am afraid of what could—” Her voice raised in pitch and her eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt as if she had physically reached out to touch him in her desperation but her hands never left her side. The tone of voice was strangled as if she were about to start begging for her very life. It made the small hairs on the back of his neck stick up. He lifted his chin, looking down at her for answers before he spoke.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could respond to it, she turned from him, her hands clenched at her sides. He watched as she took in a deep breath, pushing it out, and the pressure in the room, the wave of helplessness was gone from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did not look at him. “Forgive me, I—I </span>
  <em>
    <span>understand</span>
  </em>
  <span>—I will have to find another way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever had just happened had put him off-kilter, there was more going on here than her simply helping a friend. For a moment, she had seemed scared and even said so. The mere fact that she was afraid and sounded like she was on the verge of begging did not escape him. Granger had not even begged when she was tortured, what would make her nearly beg now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granger, are you in </span>
  <em>
    <span>danger</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Severus asked, tilting his head at her, trying to read her face from the side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not, at least-" Another head shake, another strained breath. "</span>
  <em>
    <span>not right now.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her answer did not settle the sensation in his chest that she was lying. Granger had always been at least acceptable at lying, so the fact that she could not now was a touch more troublesome.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Could that change if you do not get access to Dumsanguis?” Severus wasn’t sure if he was considering it or if he wanted to know what the end result would be of his denial. He did not want any more blood on his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Spinning back toward him, she shrugged at him. Hermione seemed to be looking at his chin rather than his eyes, avoiding his gaze. “I’m not sure. It’s unlikely, but I understand that you do not wish to help. I do ask for your word that you won’t repeat this request to anyone else.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took this moment to look at her, really look. She was paler than usual and obviously thinner than she had been when she left for summer hols. Not sickly so, but the roundness of youth was gone from her cheeks, leaving defined cheekbones. If he had to guess, she helped this creature control themselves by letting them feed on her. A dangerous way of solving the issue, but he could not speculate beyond that without knowing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which brought him to this conundrum. For Granger to ask him for help, it meant she’d likely looked through many other avenues and failed. There was no way he was her first choice. By her words, Severus was her last choice. Already he could hear Minerva chiding him because Granger had gone off and gotten herself killed, and he didn’t help in her hour of need. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus sighed. “You will have to buy the supplies; it is not an inexpensive potion to brew.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me?” Professor Granger jerked her eyes to his, looking confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not concealing the smirk at startling her, he moved back to the chair, retaking his seat. “I will brew it, but you will have to pay for the ingredients. The blood lily is rather expensive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pulled another cigarette from his case, slipping it between his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—I would be happy to pay for whatever is needed for this. Thank you.” She seemed to stumble over her words, but the gratitude at least did not sound empty.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flicking open his lighter with a snap of his hand, he lit the end of the fag, drawing air through it. “Granger, do not make me </span>
  <em>
    <span>regret</span>
  </em>
  <span> this. I do not want whomever you are helping to know I am brewing it. I want no association with whatever you’ve gotten yourself mixed up in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That won’t be a problem. You have my word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus snorted; a Gryffindor’s word was not worth much in his esteem. However, if she was bound to some vow, it was likely all she had to give. “See to it that it stays that way. How much do you need?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was a pause and then her voice squeaked. “A few, maybe two liters a week”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Merlin woman, are you helping a giant,” Severus jerked, exhaling too quickly and feeling his throat burn from it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t tell you.” Her lips were in a thin line. “If I could, I would, but I cannot.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus shook his head, closing his eyes as he evaluated what he had just agreed to. It would be a challenge with his courses, but he could manage it. It might even give him something to do on the nights he could not sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well, I shall put in an order for the ingredients and send you the invoice.” He looked out onto the grounds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sun was setting behind the mountains, the sky cast in vibrant shades of red and purple.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you, Severus.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He grumbled. “Do not mention it. Now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>go away</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He didn’t hear her move away but he did hear the interior door opened and shut.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Watching the sun set finally, he had to wonder to himself what sort of mess Granger had gotten herself into and now, by proxy, him as well.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>All the Beta love to CorvusDraconis &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>True to her word, Granger had paid for everything he had to order for Dumsanguis without so much as a complaint. He did his best to not be overly disgusted at the notion that she might see such an amount as insignificant. Who knows how much Granger had accumulated with her Order of Merlin’s and other post-war time awards. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was no business of Severus's what she did with her free time and with her own resources. The only thing that was his concern in the matter was brewing this potion as he had agreed to and not a thing more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And that was what he continued to tell himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even as he noticed more dramatic changes in the young woman, Severus buried the concern under a mountain of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘not-my-problem</span>
  </em>
  <span>’. He ignored the fact that she no longer attended outdoor events with her students that she’d been known for. Many students complained that she was no longer doing once a week ‘Charms in the Gardens’. It had been something she’d introduced in her first year as a way to expand the children’s use of charms from the mundane to the natural and magical world. Severus knew all about it, he’d been one of the ones who had to sit in on her proposal for such a scheme. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Being Deputy Headmaster had some very tiring duties and listening to Granger propose new ways of doing things every year was one of them. Minerva seemed to think it would endear him to Granger. Severus would admit, she had come up with a few very spectacular failures that had brought him some joy, but she also had some very promising successes. The OWL and NEWT study halls at the end of the year had shown incredible improvement across all courses.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But this year she had yet to bring up one proposed change, one incessant reminder of some meeting she wanted with him to go over what her brain had concocted. While he was pleased with the change, it did alarm him. Not enough that he would say something about it, but enough that it was lumped in with the rest of the changes he was trying to dismiss about her since the summer holidays.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Granger had also pointedly missed the first Quidditch match of the year. It was Slytherins vs. Gryffindors, and the fact that she was not there betting him sickle for sickle on points scored or cheering on her alma mater should have bothered him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both detested Quidditch for their own reasons and had set up their own betting pool if only to keep them from boredom. It was one of the few things he actually enjoyed about her presence at Hogwarts. If he was bored, it was likely that she too was bored and he could prod her into some competitive mental game to make the time pass. Which is why it should have bothered him that she was not there.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it didn’t, </span>
  <em>
    <span>of course</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least, that was what he told Minerva when she had wondered aloud about Granger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She is likely lost with her head in some book. Granger is bound to surface in the middle of the night and not even realize the time,” he hissed to the wizened woman. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Internally, he wondered if she was taking this time to go off and care for the vampire who had something on her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That is what had Severus most befuddled in this whole situation. The situation that he didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>care </span>
  </em>
  <span>about and wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>his problem</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How did someone, a vampire no less, get something on Granger. Weasley or Potter, he would have no doubts a creature of the night could sink their claws in and bade them do whatever they liked. But Granger had a good head on her shoulders and, for the most part, was cautious in all of her dealings with dangerous things. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What secrets could someone have on her to make her bend and care for a new vampire?</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Secrets seemed to be something the young Professor was harbouring a lot of as the school year progressed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Other staff members had murmured among themselves that something had to be amiss with her. She didn’t attend a staff meeting unless requested, and none of her usually buoyant and mirthful personality seemed to punctuate them when she was there, but that was not the only out of sorts behaviour she was exhibiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger had stopped taking her meals in the Great Hall. She would sit and idly sip at water or tea, but no food touched her lips. Severus would never admit that he’d been monitoring her; </span>
  <em>
    <span>he wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span>. It was just a coincidence that he’d asked to move away from Hagrid’s uncontrollable noise and ended up at her elbow at meals. But the proximity did afford him a closer inspection of her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Cheeks that were only defined at the beginning of the term were starting to hollow out. Her face still seemed bright and peachy, but Severus noticed that the brightness only went to her chin, leaving a pallid white neck. A delicate silver chain looped around the base of her neck. Hermione would idly scratch at it, leaving barely pink scratch marks along her pale skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had to keep from looking at her so openly; heaven forbid someone thought he was gandering at her in any other fashion than observation. He also had to continually remind himself that regardless of how she looked, she was an adult, and her activities outside of teaching the students were her own—  just as his habits belonged to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, even his insomniac pacings of the castle were not devoid of her presence. The one time that Severus could savor the quiet and solitude that the stone walls afforded him and it was invaded by her. It seemed that she was always on patrol. Even when it was not her night for such duties. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It made it very hard for him to mind his own business when he was desperately trying to. Mysteries such as this should be his bane, but the more he tried to ignore Granger and whatever she’d gotten mixed up in, the harder it was to do so.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus found himself startled when she stepped from the shadows to his side, bowing her head to him. He had not heard her footfalls or her approach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Professor Snape.” She smiled, her hands clasped in front of her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granger.” Severus exhaled, looking at her. He noticed the grey wool of gloves covering her hands. It was another thing he noticed about her that was off. She was always bundled up, wearing fingerless gloves in the building as if she were constantly cold in the temperate castle. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry if I startled you,” the woman offered contritely.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted. “You did not.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus would not let her think anything other than he had known she was there the whole time. It did make him aware of the fact that that he’d been too distracted in his thoughts, and were this still wartime, it might not have been harmless Granger to have stepped out of the night. It would be prudent for him to be more vigilant.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well good. I hadn’t had a chance to speak with you in private since the beginning of the year.” She smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned his head side to side before answering her. “In the middle of the hall is hardly private, Granger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“True, but we are the only ones within earshot.” Her brown eyes reflected the little light that was in the hall as she stated her observation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He made sure to inform her of how wrong an assumption it was. “You can never be certain of such things in Hogwarts. Regardless, what did you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The smile brightened, and she took in a deep breath through her nose. “Only to say thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hmm,” Severus grunted at her, his eyebrow raising. “Is the arrangement helping your associate's situation?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Professor Granger nodded. “I think it is. I won’t keep you, but I wanted to let you know that your effort is appreciated.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She turned from him, walking in the opposite direction of him now. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He watched her walking away, and against the insistence of his own mind telling him to mind his </span>
  <em>
    <span>own damn business</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he called out to her. “A word of warning, Hermione, if I may.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger paused, her eyes meeting his with disbelief, likely because he rarely, if ever, used her given name. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She did not miss a beat in using his. “Severus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Crossing the distance she’d created, he leaned in, his voice lowered with his warning. “It is </span>
  <em>
    <span>well documented</span>
  </em>
  <span> that one can get addicted to the sort of </span>
  <em>
    <span>activity</span>
  </em>
  <span> I assume you are partaking in with this associate. While you may </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> you can outsmart any issue that comes your way, do not underestimate the power of such an addiction. We are</span>
  <em>
    <span> all</span>
  </em>
  <span> creatures of our baser needs when it comes to such things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will take your words into consideration and be very </span>
  <em>
    <span>careful</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Inhaling, Granger’s lips curled up into a smile that was unlike her, only to be replaced quickly with thin neutral lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Instinctively, he took a step back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus wasn’t sure what brought on the reaction, but he did not let her know it was unintentional. Giving her a sharp nod, he turned to resume his route. “See that you do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good night, Severus.” The woman offered after him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus barely grumbled out. “Night.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Something was absolutely going on with Granger. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was evident that she was letting the fiend sup from her blood. Her devious smirk had told him much more than her words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did </span>
  <em>
    <span>amuse</span>
  </em>
  <span> him on some level. He never thought that Granger would be the sort to be indulgent in any manner of pleasure that was not academically driven. A vampire bite was described as euphoria-inducing and orgasmic to those who allowed it. It was why it could be addicting. Not that he’d ever experienced it for himself. His knowledge came from what he knew to teach his Defense Against the Dark Arts classes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus couldn’t help the smirk that crept up his lips because the Golden Girl was not as pristine as the world believed her to be. Not only was she helping a vampire, but it seemed she enjoyed being its feast. And Severus was the one who she seemed to have trusted with her dirty little secret.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With that knowledge, Severus took himself up to his favourite roost to indulge in a cigarette before tucking himself into bed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He was still unsettled by his interaction with Granger from the night before. Perhaps, unsettled wasn’t the right word for it. Amusement mingled with concern that had him trying to unravel the intricacies of a problem he knew very little about. He’d laid awake in his bed much longer than reasonable considering the situation as a whole.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The lack of sleep and frustration of an unsolved mystery made him a somewhat cranky teacher to his first class of the morning. There was not enough tea in the world to help him get through the fifth-years with the little amount of sleep he had. Fortunately, it was Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws, so the antics would be a minimum. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In all honesty, there was<em> never</em> enough tea for the fifth-year Gryffindors and Slytherins, regardless of how much sleep he had gotten the night before. It seemed like once students turned fifteen, they all had something to prove and house rivalry was at its peak. By the time they reached sixth-year they had it out of their systems, but fifth-year was always the worst. At least Badgers and Ravens preferred to work together to not irritate him, as opposed to his own Snakes and the Lions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus looked over the lesson plan he had for this week and could not avoid the unamused huff that escaped him. It was purely by coincidence that this was the week's topic, but he always had a hard time accepting those manners of happenstances. Perhaps the powers that be were proving some kind of point as they were wont to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You will turn to page 314,” he drawled, standing in front of his class. “By the end of this class, I expect no less than half a foot on the characteristics of a vampire and how to identify one. On Thursday, you will be quizzed on this, so I expect that you do not simply regurgitate the text onto the page with no understanding of what you have written.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The sound of opening books and flipping pages, the only appropriate response to his instructions, filled the room. Severus took his place at his desk, ignoring the slightest sleep headache that had begun behind his eyes, and worked on the first-year’s essays on why Defence against the Dark Arts was a crucial topic of study.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Toward the end of the class, Severus shifted his eyes up from his desk, having heard conspiratory whispers from the far back of the classroom. His eyes fell on a group of Ravenclaws who were frantically looking back and forth from their pages and each other. This particular group of children was not known for their penchant for troublemaking, and one of them seemed rather distressed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mr Pembrooke, 5 points for being disruptive, now before I make it ten, share with the class what is so important that it cannot wait the quarter of an hour before you leave to discuss it,” Severus growled.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He watched the young man in question pale and look to his peers for help. Noses were tucked into books, his peers leaving him on his own. Rising from his seat, Severus stalked toward the student under his scrutiny.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah—um,” Mr Pembrooke stammered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus sneered. “I am well aware you have a better grasp of verbal communication than that. Ten points now for being obstinate, shall we go for fifteen?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Every year he went through this— every year, at least one student would make the daft assumption that since Severus preferred black, peace and quiet, and red wine, it meant that he was a vampire. Every year he would have to scare some witless children until they realized the error of their ways. It was the most tiresome constant of his career.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is Professor Granger a vampire?” The child blurted out and a soft gasp echoed through the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The question made Severus freeze in his tracks. It seemed the witch’s associations were not as cleverly hidden as she would like to think. Not if students could detect the hints of it. He narrowed his eyes, tilting his head at the young man. “Why, Mr Pembrooke, would you </span>
  <em>
    <span>assume</span>
  </em>
  <span> that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh. Well, you see—she never goes outside anymore.” The boy looked away, his hands fidgeting with the edge of his book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Placing his hands on the desk, he lowered until he held Pembrooke’s gaze. “So, because your Charm’s professor has decided that she prefers the indoors, it makes her a vampire?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The student next to him, Miss Brightly, chimed in as if she were no longer able to keep her tongue. “She </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> eats? Ever. We only see her drinking tea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And you never hear her coming, and on page 315, it says that vampires have soundless gaits,” the student at the table behind this one piped in. It seemed that his cluster of Ravenclaws had set about using their assignment to study Professor Granger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before Severus could chide them from speaking out of turn, the lone Hufflepuff at the table spoke up with a frightened expression. “And she forgets to breathe.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was unexpected, and Severus found himself asking aloud with more shock than he intended. “What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pembrooke spoke up, nodding his head and no longer sheltering from Severus’s gaze. “It’s true, professor, in Charms yesterday she didn’t breathe for like, almost ten minutes. It wasn’t even like she was holding her breath; she just didn’t breathe at all.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus stood up straight, one hand moving to his hip while the other pinched his nose. His headache was now worsening, and this added level to the Granger Mystery did not help. Regardless of what he knew, it was in everyone’s best interest that he put them off the trail. Students on a vigilante quest to unmask Granger as a vampire, while potentially amusing, would be detrimental on many fronts. He would have to speak to her later about what students noticed and firmly encourage her to be more discreet. Hermione Granger would be one to know how wild a child’s imagination could run with a spark of an idea; she was living proof of that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fortunately, this was an argument he knew how to diffuse from years of experience. “Let me get this right, you</span>
  <em>
    <span> assume</span>
  </em>
  <span> your Charm’s professor to be a vampire because she prefers to be inside, you never see her eat, she is stealthy, and you </span>
  <em>
    <span>assume</span>
  </em>
  <span> you saw her not breathe for ten minutes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The students looked at each other and then to him, agreeing loudly. “Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus took a step back to his desk, drawing his text from it and flipping open to the page they were reading. It was more for effect than a need; he knew the signs by heart at this point. “Tell me, have you ever seen Professor Granger showcase</span>
  <em>
    <span> inhuman</span>
  </em>
  <span> strength?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Miss Brightly frowned, looking at the others who gave noncommittal shrugs. “Uh, no.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pity.” Severus sneered. “Has she ever exercised mental control on an unwilling participant in front of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” The Hufflepuff answered quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see.” Severus glared, making them wilt under his gaze. “Pray tell, have you ever see her consume the blood of any being in your presence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Heads were now tilted down in shame as the four of them echoed in defeat. “No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus slammed the book shut, making several other students who were doing their best not to be noticed by him jump. Crossing back to the corner where these four ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>investigators</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ sat, he tilted his head down, commenting scathingly. “I suppose the last thing would be to ask, have you ever see the iris of her eyes turn a shade of crimson?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tsked. “Pity, it seems you need to spend more time reading your textbooks than speculating on your teachers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Professor, her hands feel as cold as ice all the time!” Miss Brightly interjected as if it were the thing that would convince him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Another word, and it will be twenty points from each of you and detention.” His index and middle fingers moved to his temple and he closed his eyes for a moment before issuing a decree. “Professor Granger is not a vampire any more than I am, and if we have to have a discussion on how I am not a vampire as well, that will be fifty points from every one of you for wasting everyone's time.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The room fell silent.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Returning to his desk, Severus attempted to go back to grading. He tapped his foot, trying to determine what was keeping him from his focus. It didn’t take him long to realize that while he had safely squashed the students' inclination that Granger was a vampire, it had now taken residence in his own mind that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>could</span>
  </em>
  <span> be a possibility. It would not be too far fetched that in her helping the being that she’d been turned. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Was he providing her such volumes because more than one vampire was being helped? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did not sit well with Severus. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If she were a vampire, then she could indeed pose a threat to the school. If her sire was someone newly turned, then they would be two infant vampires trying to navigate powers that neither would rightly have control of. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Class dismissed and Severus wrote instructions on his blackboard for his incoming NEWTS students. He needed to speak with Granger now, while it was fresh in his mind. Severus could at least trust these students to not do harm to themselves in the time it took him to get to the Charms classroom and back. At least he hoped they wouldn’t as they were supposed to be reading text until he returned for a practical assessment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking the shortest route to his destination, Severus paid no heed to anyone else in the halls. The door to her classroom was wide open, students filtering into the room. He had not been in the Charms classroom this year, and it was jarring to see that the large windows had been shuttered and covered with thick drapes. The room was illuminated by candles and bright floating orbs of light that seemed to bounce and hover through the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Clearing his throat, he got the attention of Granger, who had her back turned to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I help you with, Professor Snape?” she asked him, not turning her head as she flicked her wand over the broken spine of a book, repairing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact that she did not turn around ruffled him. “I need a word with you, in the hall, now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus watched as she stiffened and then set down what she’d been working on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is everything alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This is not the hall, Granger.” He turned heel, leaving the room to wait for her to join him. His irritation had escalated in both the walk here and seeing the Charms room, which had always been annoyingly bright, now sombre and dark. It added to the mounting concern that there was more going on than had been confessed before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even watching her walk toward him, Severus could not hear her footfalls. Snapping his wand out to the side, he cast a Mufflato, shielding others from their words. This spell had undergone some modification since the time he’d first created it, as it now made lipreading impossible as well. What he needed to know from her would still be a secret for her benefit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is wrong, Severus?” she asked him, concern lacing through her words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus spared no pleasantries on her. “Who is your vampire associate?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger took a jerky step back, her hand moving to grasp the stone banister of the landing. “I told you I cannot tell you that. It is a secret.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stomach broiled in frustration, Severus could tell that she was hiding something large, and her unwillingness to confide in him was making him an accomplice to it unwittingly. “Either you tell me what is really going on, Granger, or I will cease to brew Dumsanguis for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” she whispered, and it was not that she was ordering him. It was a quiet, pitiful sound. Professor Granger grasped the bannister with both hands, and Severus watched as she turned away, eyes closed. “Please, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>cannot</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then I cannot help you any longer.” He had wasted enough time and energy on her games. His gut told him something was amiss, and he did not survive this long by not listening to it. “I will return to you the supplies I have not yet used, and I will complete these batches, but no more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus</span>
  <em>
    <span>!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” This time it was not a pitiful sound, but a dangerous snarl. He felt a shove of anger as if she had struck him across his chest. His eyes moved to her hands, but they had not left the bannister. Her knuckles were white and he noticed that the stone had partially crumbled in her hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s</span>
  <em>
    <span> you</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” He found the words tumbling from him before he could pick his jaw up from the floor in his shock. There was no mistaking it now, Granger wasn’t just helping a vampire; she was one herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Her eyes squeezed shut and he watched as she took in a heavy breath, seemingly trying to calm herself. Her words came out as a restrained whine. “Just, do what you think you </span>
  <em>
    <span>have</span>
  </em>
  <span> to— I will figure something else out. I have a class to teach. Go away</span>
  <em>
    <span>!</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could stop her, Hermione Granger stormed away from him, into her classroom. The thick oak doors snapped closed behind her with a thundering bang.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He stood there for a moment, flabbergasted. Severus looked from the shut doors to the stone bannister. He could clearly see where her fingers had dug into the stone as if it were mere clay.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Perhaps angering a newly fledged vampire was not the best of his plans. If he were honest with himself, he had not honestly expected her to have been a vampire, but rather for it to have been Potter or Weasley, who’d wrangled her into some messy cleanup. There was still a chance that it was either of them who had turned her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merlin, was the whole Golden Trio now turned?</span>
</p><p>
  <span> For the first time in a long time, Severus felt as if he were at a loss as to what to do. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could, of course, bring it up with Minerva and have Granger outed to the board. It would put an obvious target on his back for revenge from her and whoever was involved, but not something he was unaccustomed to in the past. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, that seemed rash, even for him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger had come to him in need of something that would ensure that she could live a normal life. Something Severus himself was now getting the chance to enjoy. As far as he could observe, she maintained her control, at least when she was unprovoked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> No student had shown any signs of being threatened nor feasted on. That was one thing he had been monitoring heavily, so it was something he was secure in. The last thing he wanted to be responsible for was a vampire uprising in the halls of Hogwarts. But Granger did not seem to have anything of the sort in mind. She did not seem beholden to some sinister plan or even act anything more than a muted version of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At this point, all she had tried to do was continue to teach her classes and move forward with her life — </span>
  <em>
    <span>unlife</span>
  </em>
  <span>? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still shell-shocked, Severus took in a deep breath. He needed to compose himself because looking aghast in the middle of the castle hallways would do no one any good. To anyone watching them —and Severus could feel the curious eyes watching him, so they had been seen— it looked as if they had some kind of nasty row. Until he determined what he was going to do about this development, he would let it be seen as that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Snatching the edge of his cloak in his hand, he scowled at the door. Moving his wand discreetly over the stone, he mended it, leaving no trace of Granger's show of force. It would not do for such evidence to lie around for suspicious eyes.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Angrily, Severus stormed back to his own classroom. His headache was present but long-forgotten against the pressure in his gut that something was still not right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The basic addition of her being a vampire as well and needing Dumsanguis in that volume did not make sense. A vampire need only take one 50 ml vial a day to sustain them between feedings. He was brewing for her enough in a week for 10 times that daily dosage. Unless she was harbouring a small coven of vampires, then she was taking too much of it to be safe.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His students jumped when he began to bark their instructions after barging in, pairing them up to prevent him from having to do more than demonstrate a proper Fidelius charm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Monitoring the students, this new development of thoughts started to nag at the back of his mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>How long had she been a vampire? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>Was there really an associate, or had the whole thing been a ruse because of her fear? </em>
</p><p>
  <em>And most importantly, where or from whom was she eating in addition to the supplement?</em>
</p><p>
  <span>Surely the woman wasn’t only taking Dumsanguis. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger was definitely smarter than that.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beta love!<br/>CorvusDraconis is the absolute best and you should go read every single thing they write. Just saying.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>He took lunch in his lab, as he had been doing for over a month to brew the Dumsanguis. It was enjoyable to eat with only the sounds of flames and bubbling cauldrons. A reprieve and return to his cherished dungeons once a day. Not that the lofty upper floor classroom for Defense Against the Dark Arts did not agree with him, but Severus was a creature of habit, and the Dungeons would always feel like home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slughorn had agreed long ago that the second set of subterranean labs that were not suitable to </span>
  <em>
    <span>his</span>
  </em>
  <span> liking would be Severus’s private labs. Just because he wanted to teach DADA did not mean that he would give up his intense love affair with the subtle science of potioneering. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, today, Severus did not even touch the meal placed on his desk on the far side of the room, behind a ward meant to prevent contamination. He could brew this potion with his eyes closed, but he found it exceedingly difficult today— his mind was clouded with questions and observations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione Granger was a vampire.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That factoid now hung over the room as he realized he wasn’t just brewing it for some faceless being hidden away; it was for her and that faceless being.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had decided to continue to brew the Dumsanguis for her after spending the better part of his morning weighing the pros and cons. The risk to the student body was too much to measure against his indignity of being lied to. And he knew he’d been lied to; he just didn’t know for how long. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If he’d had his senses about him when he made his discovery, he would have asked her how long it had been, rather than uttering the insipid nonsense of </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘It’s you.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ He did not appreciate being reminded that he could be caught off balance and rendered dumb with shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had also been decided that he would not take the matter to Minerva unless she posed a real threat to the students. Granger had saved his life after all, and she had never asked of him for something in return when she could have demanded anything. To openly betray this implied ‘trust’ would spit in the face of it, and he did not want to tempt fate on his new lease on life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tapping the white oak stirring rod on the side of the bronze cauldron, Severus watched the ruby droplets fall back into the cauldron. Leaning back, another glaring error in this fiasco unfolded. Vampires could brew Dumsanguis; there was no restriction that he could think of to prevent it. So it wasn’t that affliction that was keeping her from brewing it on her own. Why go through all the trouble of asking and involving him if she could do it on her own. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>What would make it so that she could not?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, he adjusted the temperature and moved back to the desk. His lunch ignored, Severus brought out a quill and parchment. He looked at the parchment and considered his next actions carefully. There was truly no way of knowing how Granger would handle the fact that he knew of her condition. But ignoring it as the hippogriff in the room between them was untenable.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Granger,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>We need to speak about the discussion we had in the hall. I bear you no ill will, so long as you do not hold any toward me. I may have been hasty in my decision making. Seek me in the dungeons corridor after the students are to bed.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>-Snape</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>A low bell tolled— it was time for him to return to his classes. Leaving the parchment on his desk, Severus determined to return to fetch it before dinner. No sense in working Granger up over an upcoming meeting before then. Not when he’d already seen the wobbly grasp she had on her control. Casting the protective wards over the room, he followed the familiar path to the fourth floor.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus was so involved in the unraveling of this conundrum that he didn’t even slam the door open to startle his first-years as they gathered in their seats. It seemed his quiet and thoughtful procession to the podium had them more frightened, as they scarcely were breathing when he looked up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Focusing on the task at hand, he tucked his notions of Granger away. “Today, you will demonstrate that you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>capable </span>
  </em>
  <span>of retaining information that you have studied. Mister Higgins, tell me, what is the key difference between a hex and a jinx?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young brunette of his house looked up from his desk. “A hex is meant to cause moderate suffering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>half</span>
  </em>
  <span> the question answered. 1 point to Slytherin. Do you know the rest of the answer?” Severus flicked his eyes around the room, the eleven-year-olds watching him with trepidation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hand shot up. “A jinx is meant to be funny?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Incorrect. Minus 1 point from Slytherin.” He fixed the girl with a glare for making him take a point from his own house. “A jinx is a mild irritant, meant to cause one to be disoriented or otherwise distracted, whereas a hex is meant to cause </span>
  <em>
    <span>suffering</span>
  </em>
  <span>, yet not enough pain to kill.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Unsurprisingly, a redhead in Gryffindor robes piped up. “But, Weasley Wizarding Wheezes have jinx products that don’t cause suffering.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Teaching</span>
  <em>
    <span> them</span>
  </em>
  <span> was enough suffering for me; I will not go into their products,” Severus looked down at the next generation of Weasley. “Which brings me to my next question, what makes a curse different from a hex or a jinx, Weasley?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The young boy looked around, and no one came to his aid. He swallowed hard and shrugged. “Uh, um, it’s evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>evil</span>
  </em>
  <span>…” Severus paused, looking at the child pointedly. “Merlin, help us; I hope you’ve no intention of being an Auror like your father. 2 points from Gryffindor. Anyone else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is meant to </span>
  <em>
    <span>kill.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” One of the Slytherin’s in the back offered darkly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus inclined his head. “Partially incorrect. 1 point to Slytherin. A curse is meant to cause extreme pain and disfiguration, up to and, of course beyond, death.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The was a brief beat of silence before a Gryffindor in the back of the room broke it. “How many curses have </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> cast before, Professor Snape?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted in disgust, sneering as if he’d seen something abhorrent.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“20 points from Gryffindor for your </span>
  <em>
    <span>cheek</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Apparently, the child was not properly educated on not pissing Severus off, as he was now pouting over the loss of points. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Open your books and select one jinx from the </span>
  <b>first section</b>
  <span>, only </span>
  <em>
    <span>one</span>
  </em>
  <span>. You will then practice that jinx on your partner. If you choose another spell from any other list, </span>
  <b>I</b>
  <span> will </span>
  <em>
    <span>demonstrate</span>
  </em>
  <span> a spell of </span>
  <b>
    <em>my</em>
  </b>
  <em>
    <span> choosing</span>
  </em>
  <span> from the book on you. Are we clear?” Severus leaned on his podium, fixing them all with a stare to instill just how serious he was.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their voices rose together, mismatched.“Yes, Professor.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, get to work.” He rose an eyebrow and turned to his desk, the end of his cape snapping around as he did.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“PROFESSOR! </span>
  <em>
    <span>PROFESSOR</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” A student came barreling into the classroom, smashing the doors open like he was chased by the devil himself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus was on his feet by reflex alone, meeting him in the middle of the rows of desks. “Mister Pembrooke, I hope you have a good reason for barging in here in such a fashion.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Re… re…” The child gasped for air, leaning forward, holding his knees, and Severus looked behind him. There was a gaggle of unhappy fifth-years coming up behind the boy, all looking shell shocked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is it?” Severus grasped him up with concern. He was trying to place where exactly the fifth-year Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws were meant to be this period.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pembrooke gasped and shook his head. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. “Red eyes. She has—</span>
  <em>
    <span>red</span>
  </em>
  <span> eyes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jerking his head up toward the students that had wandered to his class, Severus could see that Miss Brightly was holding her face, a rivulet of blood running through her fingers and down her arm. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A tremor of fear —</span>
  <em>
    <span>real</span>
  </em>
  <span> fear that he hadn’t felt in years— washed down his spine like ice water.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Letting the young man go, he marched forward, taking the elbow of the injured child. “Pembrooke, Brightly, outside with me, now! Everyone else, </span>
  <em>
    <span>get in here</span>
  </em>
  <span>, find an empty seat. My class, stay in your seat, do not cast </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The students jumped at the tone of his voice, doing as he said with no fuss. If they gave any, he would have ignored it; however, there were more pressing matters at hand. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Shutting the doors behind him, he looked between his </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘investigators’</span>
  </em>
  <span> of his first period of the day. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus took in the young woman, glancing over her for signs of injury. It was evident that blood was running down her hand, but she showed no other signs of being hurt. “Why are you bleeding, Miss Brightly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I fell and busted my lip on the chair.” Her words were muffled by her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a relief to know that this was not some kind of major incident. Severus removed his wand, gesturing in such a way as to convey that he was going to heal her. “Remove your hand so that I may see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merri Brightly moved her hands to reveal swelling and a cracked lip that was still dribbling blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sighing, he flicked his wand over her with a healing spell, followed by a cleaning spell. “In the future, try to not bleed all over the castle. Now, what </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pembrooke had seemed to get the wind back in his lungs by now as he began to explain how they got there. “Merri fell and busted her lip while moving to the demonstration circle. When she came up, Professor Granger made this horrible sound and reached for her own neck. Then she screamed for everyone to get out of the room— To leave our things and go. Everything was so fast, but I saw it before she turned around. Her eyes were </span>
  <b>red</b>
  <span>, Sir, not brown.” The young man grabbed his arm, looking up at him with fear. “Please believe me. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please.</span>
  </em>
  <span> She </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>a vampire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus closed his eyes and exhaled, drawing his arm back from the frightened child. “I want you to listen closely, Mister Pembrooke because this is very important. You are going to go into my classroom and sit with your fellow students. Do not repeat what you saw, </span>
  <em>
    <span>either of you</span>
  </em>
  <span>, do not say a word until I return. Am I clear?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The children both nodded, and Severus opened his classroom door, ushering them in. “Prefects, ensure that no student leaves this classroom until I return. My class, read your text and ask the fifth-years about your jinx of choice; they should have those memorized by now.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Not waiting for an answer, Severus shut the door and passed his wand over it, securing it. Exhaling deeply, he turned, his wand gripped in his hand and marched up the stairs toward the Charms classroom. He stilled his mind from the rampaging thoughts as he prepared for the potential of dealing with Hermione Granger as an actual threat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not that he had not considered her one once before, on the battlefield where he knew that between the three of the child heroes, he had no desire to cross wands with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The charms classroom was empty, but it was evident that there was a massive exodus of children. Flicking his wand, he set the room to order itself as he looked for signs of where Granger had gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What worried him the most was the fact that the two children had said she’d made some kind of sound. Vampires were not werewolves; they did not howl before attacking their prey. For her to have made some noise, something wasn’t right—another variable of inaccuracy to this growing narrative.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus went to her quarters, but her door guardian said she’d not been there since the morning. When he asked if she had left the castle, the door guardian informed him that she never left the castle anymore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For nearly an hour, Severus moved from one potential location she could be to another, but not finding her anywhere. His frustration was mounting, leaving way for the worry that she’d hurt someone under his watch room to break free. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If someone got hurt —  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If someone </span>
  <em>
    <span>died</span>
  </em>
  <span>— it would be on him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had made a choice to not tell Minerva the second he knew about this condition. About Granger being a vampire among them without knowing if she was under her own control or not. If Granger lost her senses, it would be more blood on his hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking his head, Severus stopped in the middle of a hallway, trying to think of where to go next. It dawned on him that if she had been feeding properly that an insignificant amount of blood such as a busted lip would not have phased her at all. Blood healers at St. Mungos were vampires who could tell what venom was in the blood by taste, but they never had such kneejerk reactions. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>How long had it been since she’d fed? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That would be the defining factor of how dangerous she was and what he was going up against. If it was merely that she was having control issues due to timing, it would be understandable. He supposed that she was likely trying to go as long as possible without the succour of human blood. If she was nearing the end of that timetable, then some of this would make sense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it wouldn’t explain the pale skin of her neck, the hollowing of her cheekbones, the constant chill she seemed to be faced with. Severus would need more answers, and he was going to get them from her if he did not have to take other more drastic measures.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Whatever his duty to her for the life debt, Severus had sworn that he would never see the kind of bloodshed and battle in these halls as he had seen years ago. He was not beholden to anyone but himself for it, and he would uphold that personal oath to what means were needed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, his hope was that Granger was sensible and not in a position for this to come to some kind of confrontation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Merlin, he hoped she was in control of her senses and sulking somewhere, whining of how the world was out to get her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It would be a blessing at this point in the game: a frustrating blessing, but one never-the-less.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I were Hermione Granger, and the world was out to get me, where would I hide?” He cursed aloud, wanting to find her and shake her until the answers to his questions fell out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I would try the library,” a Medusa portrait answered as she licked her fingers and dined on delicate grapes drenched in the blood of her enemies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The fact that he’d not thought of it himself made him want to hex the painting, but instead, he nodded his thanks and made his way toward the only safe haven Granger had ever known.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As his footsteps carried him to the library, the grim reality of his swarming conclusions hit him in the gut as well as the mind. Granger WAS stupid enough to try and be a vampire without feeding on blood. She really was a bloody idiot</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Corvus is the best!<br/>Go read Otterly Frightful, which they just posted! Spooky fics everywhere!<br/>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27275974</p><p>Also... yarrrr there be smut on the horizon!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>It should have been the first place he looked. Madam Pince seemed to know exactly whom he was looking for as the woman gestured toward the restricted section without looking up. “I don’t know what you said to her, Severus, but she was in a state when she ran back there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Relief cut through the worry at the statement of the librarian. If Granger had flown through her in a rush yet left everyone untouched, it would be worth it for them to think it was his fault. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I shall handle it,” he explained, stalking toward the gates that would hold back anyone without permission. As Deputy Headmaster, Severus revoked all admission to the section except for himself and Granger. There was something to be said about the power the position afforded him at this moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus stalked toward the far back of the section and began his search. It didn’t take him long to find her, tucked between two bookshelves. Her back was turned to him and he approached with caution.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her shoulders jerked, and she turned, holding her hand out to him. “Don’t come any closer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was not in the mood for the dramatics, not after the hour of tension expecting to find her in a bloodbath. “Granger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am serious; it is not safe.” Granger took a step back, pressing herself to the wall.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus heeded her warning; he noticed that she had elongated canines pushing past her lips; it made him pause in his approach.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should have told you,” the words fumbled from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shook his head; eyes were drawn to the grey ash and coloured stones that were around Granger’s feet in a circle. “Hermione, what is this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His black eyes took her in as she hung her head in shame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A line of undeath, it will keep me at bay until I gain my senses.” Severus saw that her hands were shaking. Hands that hand bone-white claws that extended past her fingertips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sheltered his apprehension from his words, looking her over. “And have you gained your senses?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For the most part, but you need to stay back.” She repeated as if it was a mantra to save her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus looked at her and felt vindication and horror as his earlier assessment was correct. Granger was deathly pale, like a corpse, makeup smeared to show that it had been what had given her face a living glow. Her face was gaunt, hands thin and frail-looking. All of these were apparent signs of a vampire in advanced stages of starvation. They were enhanced by the fact that she was fighting at this moment to restore her humanity and take control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In this state, she was dangerous, more dangerous than a dragon or a werewolf even. Both of those could be outsmarted and overwhelmed, but like this, if she lost control, there would be little he could do aside from killing her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>What had gotten into the fool girl’s mind that she could survive like this?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you feed last?” He hissed, flicking his wand to prevent any other from hearing them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger looked away from him, at the books on the shelf to her left. “I had Dumsanguis during lunch hour.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not what I asked; when did you feed last?” Severus demanded, taking a step closer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes focused on him and narrowed.“I have not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Surely she had to be jesting; there was no way she could still be alive if she’d never had blood. “You have not, as in ever?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something clouded her face, her lips dropping into a frown as she closed her eyes. “As in, except for the poor creature my first night, I have not.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When he thought that this ordeal could not get any more outrageous, it seemed as if it had vowed to surprise him. How long had Granger been turned? Why hadn’t she fed if she knew what she was? “Why not? I thought you were smarter than this, Miss Granger. Apparently, even I can be wrong. What makes you think you could survive if you do not take in sustenance?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a </span>
  <em>
    <span>monster</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Hermione hissed the word out like venom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snorted at the concept that she denied herself due to the conceptions of her condition. “You are</span>
  <em>
    <span> killing</span>
  </em>
  <span> yourself with your self-righteous ideas.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seems the Gryffindor flair for the dramatic did not miss her with her next words as proof. “Let me die then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wanted to grab her and shake her for the statement. Severus could not let her die before him, no matter what he wanted to. A life debt would force his hand at the last minute to do anything to save her. Even at the expense of his own life. “You know that I, of all people, cannot do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You owe me nothing!” She snapped back, her eyes flashing the barest hint of red. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hair on his neck stood up and he calmed himself before he enraged her further. Severus needed to think of a way to solve this and quickly. Granger was stubborn, and he knew that she would fight him every step of the way. At this point, two options in his mind, offer his own blood up, at least until Severus could get her some elsewhere so that she could have her control, or leave her here and fetch some blood on his own. The second was too risky with her in this state, and he did not trust the ash around her feet. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We both know what I </span>
  <em>
    <span>owe</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Granger. Now, in the interest of protecting the school, its students, and potentially you from a gruesome death, I have a solution. If you need blood, I can offer it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her head shook violently, and she sunk down, sitting on the floor in a crumpled pile. “No, I won’t take from you. I won’t ask you to pay your life debt in that way; it’s not right. I won’t let this make me into a monster.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, so noble and foolish, will you let me help you before you lose control and kill someone, like a student.” Severus snarled, moving so close that he could feel the magic of the circle pushing back at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The look of fear in her eyes as he said the word student made him understand that it was her deepest fear to attack one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can’t—can you take me someplace where I can’t get out? There has to be someplace in the castle where I can stay and just get my wits about me.” She begged him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus looked down at her—she was a pitiful sight. He admired the tenacious task she’d taken to protect the students, but if she would be a vampire and teach, she needed to take in that which sustained her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her request would be a simple one for him to fulfill, but he was not going to be led around by the nose any longer. Pinching said nose, he sighed deeply before looking at her. “My private labs are underground and nearly impervious. But if I take you anywhere, I want the truth, Granger, </span>
  <em>
    <span>the whole truth.</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A sparkle of Granger, the woman showed through the haunting shell she was at the moment, and she clasped her hands, nodding. “Yes, oh Merlin, would you take me there. I can hold on until we get there, and I</span>
  <em>
    <span> promise</span>
  </em>
  <span> I will explain everything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He would hold her to that promise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus eyed the containment, wondering what would allow her to cross it not. His wand was tucked between his hand and his sleeve; he did not want to seem threatening to her but also not be caught off guard. “How do I break the circle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You draw a line through it. You are living; you can touch it.” Granger explained pointedly. She demonstrated by trying to touch the line and being repulsed by it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus evaluated the situation and made her hold his gaze. “Will you attack me when I break it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” She shook her head, “you have my word.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As much as he liked to rely on that, he was well aware of how little that could mean in this situation. “How can I be assured of that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This.” Granger offered, reaching her hand into her collar and pulling up the silver chain. It was no longer delicate but thick and heavy, like a dog’s collar. He didn’t understand how that would prevent her from harming him. It was commonly known that vampires had a small reaction to silver; it was not enough to make her hold on to her control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is that, and how will it stop you?” He queried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her nose crinkled as she let it fall heavy against her neck. “A Peruvian blood choker, it tightens and restrains when I get close to a frenzy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had never seen one in person, which is why he did not recognize it, but he’d heard of and even taught a lesson to his NEWT level students on these devices. This was hardly how they were designed to be used, however. “Granger, that is a torture device.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know.” She offered plainly, her hands flexing on her knees. “It was an insurance policy that worked very well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had to admit that it would make her transportation from here to the dungeons much easier. “Very well, but if you make one wrong move, you know I will do as I must.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione looked at the floor and then started to push herself back to her feet. She teetered back and forth, trying to gain her balance. “I expect no less.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus dragged his foot through the line, and it fell around her, the pressure blowing past him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The energy of it seemed to deflate her and she began to topple over. Instinctively Severus caught her elbow, looking down at her. “Can you walk?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think—” She started forward, a slow, weak shamble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus took a deep breath, sent a prayer to the powers that be, and flicked his wand, binding her hands and feet. Unceremoniously, he threw her over his shoulder. “—I’m not waiting for you to hobble, do not bite me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But—” she protested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She weighed less than a first year, but he did not pay any mind to that. “You said you had control; exercise it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With her in tow, Severus marched from the library as if nothing was wrong. He held his head up as if it were an everyday occurrence that he had Professor Granger over his shoulder, bound. He heard Pince make noise at him, and he glared before exiting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because everyone should be in their classes, he did not encounter anyone except for the Bloody Baron, who respectfully turned his gaze. Severus did his best to control the pounding of his heart, knowing that the proximity was likely driving her mad. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once in the labs, Severus set her into the chair at his desk. Once sure she was secure, he erected the most potent wards he knew in the room. Then, and only then, did he release her from her bindings.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Explain</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Severus turned, crossing his arms with narrowed eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She scratched at her neck and sighed. “Where would you like me to start?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Grumbling, Severus leaned against a workbench at least ten feet from her. Enough time to draw his wand and get one spell out. He needed to know so much now; so much of the mystery was still shrouded from him. “The beginning would be prudent. How did you get involved with the vampire, when did they turn you, why is your sire letting you kill yourself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is no </span>
  <em>
    <span>other</span>
  </em>
  <span> vampire, Severus.” Hermione offered weakly, her fingers tucking around the chain and holding it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He snapped at her. “Do not take me for a fool </span>
  <em>
    <span>a second time</span>
  </em>
  <span>; you did not just suddenly wake up like this one morning.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus was not going to let her lie to his face, not when he knew precisely how vampires were made. There was always a sire; they were bred from the blood share at the time of death.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is closer to </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> than you think?” Hermione snarled back, her fangs causing her words to hiss past her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Not wanting to invite her to violence, he closed his eyes for a moment and breathed deeply. Speaking calmly, Severus looked at her again. “Do not lie to me; just tell me what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not,” Hermione protested. “I will tell you what I know.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Go on.” He nodded at her, uncrossing his arms, his wand still in his hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“On July 12th, I woke up in an alley outside of Woodside, near Aberdeen. I don’t remember what happened the two days before; I only know that two days had passed from a </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tempus </span>
  </em>
  <span>spell. I was so thirsty, I thought I was going to die. It was in the middle of the night; no one was around.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This did not sit well with him at all. Someone had turned Granger and left her out in the open. Was it meant for her to go on a rampage and kill someone, or had it been a cruel way to kill her, and she’d woken before the sun rose? “So, you have no idea who turned you or what happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger shook, her hands holding out in her defense. “I didn’t even know I was turned; I thought I had been attacked or gotten ill. I found a spigot and drank so much water, but it did nothing. I felt so weak, I was so confused and lost.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The way she spoke was full of remorse, and he knew that she was about to tell him that in her first blood lust, she’d killed someone unwillingly. Steeling himself for this revelation, he asked her pointedly. “Who did you stumble upon then?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Predictably, her face fell. “Not who, what?” “A stray dog came strolling up to me. I could hear it, I could hear so much, and I could hear a heartbeat, just like I can hear yours now. I had no control over what happened. I didn’t even realize I’d moved until the poor thing was dead. That was when I knew what I’d become.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He considered himself surprised that it had been a creature and not a person. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So Hermione had been a vampire since July 12th at the very least. That meant when she came to see him at the end of July, she had already been turned. Doing the math in his head, he realized that by all accounts, she should have expired by now. “Your last meal was on July 12th? Granger, it is October 27th, that is over two months.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, but I wasn’t going to become a monster.” She recanted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus rolled his eyes. “So, what did you do to stay alive this long?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I went home, locked myself in, and did some research. I bought some Dumsangius for testing, but once I realized I would have to register to be able to get a steady supply, I had to figure something out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was starting to make sense to him as to why she’d come to him. Severus would never have thought to demand that she register the vampire she was aiding, assuming that the pristine and law-abiding Granger had done it already. She preyed on his distaste for the ministry. But registering as a vampire only made it so that obtaining certain potions easier and allowing her access to the vampire’s blood bank stores. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Why would she avoid that?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why not register?” He wondered aloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Chortling, she rubbed her forehead. “I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hermione Granger</span>
  </em>
  <span>; they would crucify me, potentially literally. It would undermine everything I have ever done with my work. I could lose my job.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Point granted.” He knew very well that the idea that she’d been turned to the dark side would be fodder for the Prophet for years to come. “So why can’t you brew it yourself? Why involve me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In the late stages of the thirst, you cannot brew it,” Granger explained, her clawed hands flexing. It was like she could not sit still for even a minute.“It won’t come out right. By the time I had asked you, I was already too close to that edge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you lied to me?” He demanded an answer even though he knew it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Frowning, she nodded. “I did. What did you expect me to say? Severus, I am a vampire now—Will you please brew Dumsanguis so I can stay in control longer? You would have laughed at me and turned me in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he might have had such a knee jerk reaction at first, Severus was well aware that Granger could have convinced him. “Perhaps not. Not if you called in your debt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t want you to be indebted to me, especially not now.” A shudder seemed to run over her skin, and she drew her clothing around her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus snorted, gesturing with his hand toward her. “You should have thought about that before you saved my life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At the time, more important matters were at hand.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I see.” Severus could see that she had a point. He would not argue with her about it, not now. Now he needed to get the point where they get her under control to make rational decisions. “You know that this cannot go on?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If she could have gotten any paler, he assumed she would have. “What do you intend to do.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My offer stands; I would rather you drink my blood than that of a student. It is not as if you’ve not been in contact with copious amounts of it before.” He tried to make light of the fact that she’d been practically swimming in it when he was dying on the floor of the shack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was different. I could kill you.” The severe tone of her voice told him that she was afraid of that too.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus simply turned and moved toward where the aid station was. “I could also kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Petulance ran rampant in her voice. “It is not the same?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Isn’t it?” Severus plucked up a stirrer he’d been using for the Dunsanguis. “Do you not think that this oak stirrer cannot become a stake in which I drive through your heart.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something about the way he said it must have gotten through to her because Granger pressed back into the chair. “I am afraid I will not be able to stop if I even started.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You underestimate me and my ability to defend myself?” He questioned, unbuttoning his frock coat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her voice wobbled in fear. “I don’t know my own strength.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is only one way to find that out, Granger.” Severus continued his work until he had the coat off, revealing his shirt sleeves. He hung the coat on the hook on the wall and opened up the aid kit. Drawing two potions from it, he downed the first one, ignoring the bitter copper taste. It would save his life if something went wrong with his plan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you doing?” Hermione asked from across the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Preparing.” He took the second potion, the saccharine flavor going down harshly. “I keep blood replenishers and other important potions in all my aid kits.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He turned and watched her for a moment. Her clawed hands were digging into the arms of the chair, and she was hyperfocused on him. Severus was sure that her control was waning.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger let out a strangled whisper. “Aren’t you afraid of getting addicted?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“To you?” He let out a snort. “No, I have my addictions. I am prepared for some of the side effects and will treat them as needed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am afraid.” It was barely audible.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus turned on her and marched toward the desk. He started to roll up his right sleeve as he rounded the desk. Severus hissed at her, driving a point home. “I want you to think about that fear and then amplify it by the fifteen-year-old that is beside himself because he saw his professor with red eyes and knows she is a vampire.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She recoiled from his words as if they were a slap in the face.“That is not fair?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When have I ever alluded to being fair,” Severus questioned, leaning toward her. He tucked his fingers under the heavy silver chain and began to murmur the chant to take it off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brown eyes tinted red, and she jerked, trying to move his hands. “What are you—don’t take that off.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cannot feed if this cuts off your head.” Severus offered, lifting the chain away and setting it on the desk at his hip.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crossed her arms over her chest, “I am not feeding off of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had a feeling she would say that, and he had prepared his compelling counter-argument. “Granger, you have two choices—you let me help you or I kill you. I would much rather not see what that does to me considering our debt.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But—” she protested, and he watched as she swallowed as if she was salivating.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He knew he had very little time before there was more beast there than beauty. “By the time I get to three, I am making a choice for you. One.” He held up his index finger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus, this is dangerous and crazy!” Hermione argued.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He continued to count, holding up a second finger. “Two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leaned forward, eyes darkening as the brown shifted away. “I could kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Three.” He offered his third finger in the air. Severus summoned the oak stirrer to his hand, transfiguring it to a sharper point. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes fell over it, and he set it down next to the Peruvian collar. “You—</span>
  <em>
    <span>fine</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I agree, just this once.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good choice. Once you have had enough that you are no longer about to expire, you <em>will be registering</em>, and you will be getting access to the blood stores. As long as you do this, I will still brew the Dumsanguis for you.” He smirked, the triumph of his argument covering the smallest bit of doubt that he could overpower her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger closed her eyes again, her hand coming to hold her head. “If I don’t stop, kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will do as I must,” he agreed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus leaned forward, baring his forearm to her, bracing for the pain he knew was likely to come from her fangs breaking his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione Granger looked up at him and then to his pale flesh. Severus nodded his head and braced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing, no amount of reading, could have prepared him for the sensation of a vampire’s bite willingly received and given.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beta love for CorvusDraconis who helped me really round out this chapter.</p><p>Sorry about the 999999999<br/>My cat helped me make that error while I was heavily editing the chapter. Please read it again if you read it before this note was posted. &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It burned at first, like a razor’s edge slicing through every vein in his body. He grimaced, his teeth gritting through the sensation. While it was painful, it lingered barely longer than a heartbeat, quickly replaced with another feeling. </p><p>The fangs sunk into his forearm and he felt the venom take hold. Every nerve in his body tingled. Not unpleasantly so, like pins and needles, rather like they were coming to life instead. </p><p>Severus was not prepared for the wash of euphoria that struck him suddenly as the effects of her bite coursed through his blood. The apprehension about letting her bite him and worry about Granger keeping her control was gone as the ocean of excitement dragged him out the sea. </p><p>Senses clouded, Severus pushed his free hand into her hair, moving it aside so that he could see her face. A spike of pleasure ran up his leg, from his toes to his groin.</p><p>“Sweet Merlin,” he groaned.</p><p>He had been sure that he could hold himself together, that his occluded mind would prevent her from being able to so thoroughly overwhelm his senses. If he had those wits about him now, he would know that he was incredibly wrong.</p><p>Being of a more sound mind would have also had him noticing how inexplicably erotic it was to watch her feasting on his blood. How she looked beautiful like this. Or what that the venom talking? He wasn’t sure, but he knew that there were many things he should think about that he wasn’t. Severus would have thought about a great many things if all the blood in his body was not either deviating to her mouth or his nether region.</p><p>Gooseflesh crawled across his back and over his arms as the intensity of the sensations he was experiencing grew. He was panting, and the base of his spine felt like he was dripping with sweat. Time felt slow, but his heart was beating like he was running out of it.</p><p>“Granger.” He breathed out, his hand moving to cup her cheek.</p><p>Red eyes opened and looked at him, but she did not relinquish her mouth from his skin.</p><p>The meeting of their eyes ignited the powderkeg within him; Severus succumbed to a wave of lust for her. Every fiber of his being wanted her, want to touch her, be with her and submit to her.</p><p>“Hermione.” He begged, thought he wasn’t sure if he was begging her to stop or keep going.</p><p>Severus felt a significant loss when her canines slipped from his skin. However, he was rewarded with a lightning strike of pleasure when her tongue laved over the spot, the bright red wounds closing to leave pink marks.</p><p>It was too much, and before his brain could catch up with his body, he’d brought her face to his, crashing his lips against hers. The copper flavor that assaulted his senses did nothing but fuel the drive in him for her.</p><p>“Severus,” he felt her hiss against his lips, sharpened teeth snipping along his lips.</p><p>It spoke to something deeply buried in him, a repressed desire long sheltered from the world. Unable to deny that desire in this state, his hands slid down her body before tucking around her. Drawing her close, Severus, still panting against her lips, pleaded with her. “<em> Please </em>, I want you.” </p><p>“Yes.” she breathed back at him. “Take me, Severus.”</p><p>Permission granted, his hands felt to him as if they had blurred, divesting them both of the remainders of their clothing. </p><p>Skin that had been deathly pale along her neck was pink under his lips as Severus drew her to him. He was intoxicated by the scent of her, the closeness, and his mind was focused on one ultimate goal. Effortlessly, either by the drug in his veins or the fact that she was so light, Severus lifted them both from the desk, turning so that he laid her back against it.</p><p>His eyes met hers as her hands pulled at his shoulders, drawing him down to her. Her brown eyes were tinted red; he found himself unable to look away from them. Severus pressed his hips into her, finding that his ingress was welcome from the tight wet heat that greeted him.</p><p>A moan that came from his very soul shook through him, but it was silenced as Hermione’s grip on his shoulders tightened, claws digging in. Her heels coiled around him, digging into his spine as she held him in place. He could do nothing but rock against her, even as he wanted, no he needed more movement. Granger pulled him down into a heated kiss, their tongues mimicking the shallow dance of their hips at the moment. </p><p>Severus struggled to breathe, kiss, and move all at the same time. His faculties were all screaming at him to fuck Hermione into Oblivion. Frustration mounted as she did not let him move as his body demanded of him. Growling heatedly at her, Severus stood, his arms wrapping around her waist as he attempted a feat of strength and flexibility, bouncing her with a flex of his knees just to get some of the friction he craved.</p><p>Granger released him from the kiss and made a gasp of pleasure at the motion. Repeating the action, Severus was rewarded with her removing her vice grip on his hips. </p><p>What happened next was truly a blur to him, his mind unable to process movement at that speed. </p><p>Finding himself on the stone floor on his back, Severus was only aware of one thing. This beautiful creature was on him, driving herself onto him like they were racing to completion together. The pleasure that wracked his mind was unsurmountable and Severus gave over to her completely.</p><p>His stomach coiled, his fingers digging into her hips as he thrust up to meet her. Lips moving, Severus breathed out prayers to every Divine he knew as the tension in him tightened.</p><p>The peak of his arousal was at a near, desire and heat pulsing from his head to his toes.</p><p>“With me, Granger, come with me,” Severus growled, his hips snapping up into her as he was determined to meet this<em> le petite morte </em> with her.</p><p>His plea seemed to ignite something in her as he watched her hiss out a breath and lean forward for a kiss. </p><p>It wasn’t until she bypassed his lips that he realized it was not a kiss, and he felt the cut of her teeth against the scar tissue along his neck. The white-hot pain sent him over the edge, and Severus had no time to feel fear or worry as his entire body shuddered, as the universe centred on the points of joining between them and nothing else.</p><p>Severus screamed out in his orgasm, his arms wrapping around her, holding her to him as his body convulsed. His eyes closed as it felt like everything escaped him, the air from his lungs, the blood from his veins, all thought, all sensation. The most serene numbness overtook him, and after the shock his system went under, Severus was unable to keep his eyes open.</p><p>Succumbing to the darkness, Severus could not resist the slumber he was pulled down to, unable to retain his senses enough to realize that she was still feeding on him.</p><p> </p>
<hr/><p> </p><p>His eyes snapped open.</p><p>Severus felt cold, and the obvious reason for that was because he was stark naked, lying on the floor in the potions lab. His brain felt as if it had gone through a whirlwind, and his body was sore. Trying to shift to his side and get up, Severus realized his arm was pinned down. Glaring at whatever had him, he fell over the naked form of Hermione.</p><p>It all came rushing back to him, and Severus reeled back, yanking his arm from her.</p><p>Her dark, honey brown eyes snapped open then. Severus watched as they widened in horror as she obviously remembered what had transpired here.</p><p>“Shit, I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” she squealed, covering herself with her hand and skirting away toward the pile their clothes were in.</p><p>He rubbed his forehead, trying to find the balance point of the world as his mind vividly reminded him that he’d just slept with Granger.</p><p>“You didn’t kill me, I think.” His hoarsely offered, his throat raw as if he had swallowed nails.</p><p>He averted his gaze as she fumbled with her clothing, trying to give her a moment of modesty as he crossed his legs. </p><p>“You still have a heartbeat.” Hermione managed to whisper with a trembling voice. “I will go; I am sorry. I promise I will never—this won’t happen again. I’ll register and get blood that way.”</p><p>Severus summoned his trousers, pulling them on as he stood.</p><p>She was standing at his desk, her eyes still wide as if she’d seen a ghost, and he could see her hands were trembling. But they were hands, peach hands with no claws. Her skin looked like it was human again, no longer the pallor of a corpse. At least the main objective of his plan had been successful and he still was alive.</p><p>Hermione did not seem to see the positives of this. He supposed the horror of having slept with him had sunk in and was causing the twitching and nervous movements she was exhibiting. “I apologize for losing rein of the situation Granger, calm down.”</p><p>She was fully dressed now, complete with the delicate silver necklace. Her arms were wrapped around her. “Please drop the wards so I can leave.”</p><p>He felt compelled to make sure she was alright. “Are you sure you are—”</p><p>“Yes, please, drop your wards so I can leave.” Granger cut him off, crossing the room with as much distance between them as possible. Her face was riddled with shame and regret at this point and it gnawed at him.</p><p>“Go,” Severus relented, getting his wand and dropping the protective spells that would have kept the Dark Lord himself out. “I expect a copy of your registration on my desk.”</p><p>The woman sulked out of the room.</p><p>Severus took inventory of himself, checking for wounds that needed healing. Both bite marks were healed; the one on his arm was still pale pink. Using a reflection, he assessed that his shoulders were not healed, and he had bloody scratches over them. Nothing a potion and some salve wouldn’t fix.</p><p>Aside from those marks, however, Severus felt extraordinarily good. His joints did not ache, and the only soreness he experienced was from the rather vigorous carnal activities they had partaken in.</p><p>He turned to dress, wondering how long it had been since he’d locked his classroom down. The wards had not been breached, so the students were still in there, likely afraid of the points he would take if they left.</p><p>As he tied his dragonhide boots, Severus played over how they’d gotten from her feeding to them fucking. All his notions of self-control seemed to be entirely overridden by the venom of her bite—yet, he did not feel as if this was something he had not wished to do. That bothered him on some level because he would have never considered Granger as someone he was physically attracted to before this. </p><p>Yes, she had a brilliant mind, a quick wit, and was by far the only other teacher in this damned castle that had any sense. But that didn’t mean that he had desired her. </p><p>Even as Severus told himself these things, that part of his mind that had opened at the breathing of his name called him a fool and liar. He would never admit it, even to himself, but Granger had all the characteristics that he desired in a person. And not a damn one of them had to do with finding her physically attractive or not.</p><p>Feeling betrayed by his own feelings, Severus growled, leaving the lab. The pleasure of her bite still tingled along his arm, but he could feel the lingering effects waning.</p><p>He did not want to go to his classes right now; he wanted a cigarette and to think about his next steps.</p><p>Twisting his lips, sent word to Minerva via his Patronus. “Cancel my classes. Something has come up; please let the students in my classroom know that they are free to leave. Also, accept no letters of resignation or leaving from Granger.”</p><p>Satisfied with that, he stalked toward his favourite perch. He never indulged in smoking during the day, too much fear of being spotted by a student, but he needed it. Tucking himself in the shadows, he lit the fag he withdrew from one of his main pockets and took in a deep breath.</p><p>Now was the time to evaluate what he was going to do about what he now knew.</p><p>Granger was right; if she registered, it would be the end for her. She’d be more of a pariah than Remus Lupin. He hadn’t cared about that as much when his concern was making sure that she did not feast upon a student. But now, with no immediate danger and a ‘clearer’ head, it did matter. It mattered to Severus if she was forced from the castle that he’d have to endure someone else in that post. It mattered that she was a competent professor who could proficiently educate even the daftest of idiots with ease. The woman was so damn dedicated to her job that she willingly put a device on her that could behead her if she made an attempt to attack someone.</p><p>It was not her fault that she was a vampire. That struck him the hardest.</p><p>This had not been some willing agreement or some tryst gone wrong. Hermione had been victimized and left with malicious intent for her to die or kill someone. </p><p> It did not take him long to come up with a whole list of reasons for how her registering would be both a devastating blow to her and very unsettling for him. Granger did not deserve to have what she worked so hard for taken away for a choice she did not make.  He would not force her to give it all away when she had demonstrated such extensive restraint</p><p>And it was restraint and control she exhibited when he was completely unconscious and defenseless and she chose to not bled him dry. There was nothing that would have stopped her had she made that choice. The fact that she didn’t meant to him that she was less of a monster than she thought she was.</p><p>It was obvious to him that she needed his help. There was no way she was going to survive on her own this way and he did not want to have the same encounter with a starving vampire in two months time. Severus was going to have to convince her to let him help her. </p><p> </p><p>Finishing the cigarette, Severus cleaned away the smell of the smoke and went right to his office. He had a few things he needed to handle and many more things he wanted to think about.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> Hermione, </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em> I have no desire to see you become the pariah of the Wizarding World after you were attacked, victimised, and are honestly trying to save people from yourself, however self-sacrificing and short-sighted your attempt was to start. While your condition is not ideal, it is natural for one such as yourself to live off blood, and while that cannot and will not ever change, I can, however, help you in the frequency from which you succumb to this biological need. I will continue to brew your potions as agreed and will deliver the next batch to you tomorrow. And before you think that registering would be better than taking an occasional bloodmeal from a willing donor, do not think that your registering will not also affect my reputation as well. While I am used to being the pariah of the Wizarding World in one way or another, I do not wish that for you, nor do I want your guilt that you caused more upon me. I have changed my mind about forcing you to register your condition. It was made in haste and in fear for the level of your control. I have since realised that while your assumptions of what makes a vampire a monster are misguided and lacking (I would have you turn to page 314 and reread the chapter on vampires) your heart was in the right place to protect your students. None of this would have been necessary had you not been attacked and Turned against your will. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> If anything remember this, Granger: in the throes of starvation, you did not drain me dry. You did not tear out my throat and leave me to die. You showed me compassion. Allow me to help you. Not out of debt or some such rot. This, I want to do—as much as I would love to put a sharpened stake into the coward that took you in the dark and left you to die or, worse, slaughter helpless people while you were uncontrollably hungry and oblivious to your condition. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> There are things we must discuss, and I beg you to entertain me in this for the good of both of us. </em>
</p><p>
  <em> -Severus </em>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beta love to CorvusDraconis!</p><p>Happy Halloween/Blessed Samhain.</p><p>I hope to have Beholde completed before Halloween is over, there are two more planned chapters.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Granger did not come to dinner that evening. She did not send a response to his letter back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had to calm Pembrooke down and eventually explained to the boy that what he had seen resulted from a cursed item that Granger was currently wearing and studying. It was a lie that seemed to soothe the boy’s mind. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For the rest of the evening, Severus worried about the labs wondering precisely what the fool woman’s next step would be.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If she tried to resign, Severus had already gained Minerva’s assurance that she would not accept it. It took some rather -</span>
  <em>
    <span>creative</span>
  </em>
  <span>- explaining on his part as to why that would even be a possibility without revealing Granger’s condition, but fortunately, speaking in half-truths was something he was well accustomed to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The longer the time drew on, the more Severus could say that he felt almost anxious. If Granger went and registered herself at his behest, he would not be able to comfortably live with the consequences to her life. He found himself genuinely more concerned about her future complications with this condition than his own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Looking at the cauldrons of Dumsanguis, he knew he had precisely twenty-four minutes before he would have to reduce the heat and start the bottling process. As long as he did not linger overmuch at her doorway, he could make it to her rooms and back within the allotted time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Warding the room, he was willing to risk it to ensure that she had not in her self-sacrificing Gryffindor sentiment, done something drastic.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door guardian regarded him coolly. “My mistress has bid me tell you that she will not be receiving you should you come knocking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell Granger that I only wish to know if she has fully recovered and that I would appreciate a response to the letter.” Severus offered coolly to the obviously displeased guardian.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a long moment before the being moved again, succinctly offering Granger’s response. “My mistress says that she is quite well in health and that she has received your missive and is still taking the matter under consideration. Please leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sharp nod, Severus turned and left. It was enough that she was considering it. That she wasn’t rashly trying to make decisions based on the regret that had painted her face as she left him this afternoon. A shame that he had to admit that he did not share, at least not to its fullest extent. As the day had worn on, Severus had examined the events, as he could remember them through the maddeningly exciting haze.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first, he was concerned that he’d taken advantage of her, which had turned his gut into knots. Even though his mind was riddled with vampiric venom, Severus could clearly remember that in his own pleading voice, he had asked for permission. It might have been fevered, and he was in no condition to consent himself, but it had been asked for and enthusiastically given. He was many cruel and dangerous things, but a rapist was not one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The memory of her growling for him to take her sent an echo of pleasure up his spine. A smirk curled at the edge of his lips. It spoke to that internal desire for Granger that had been buried so deep that it was unknown to him until now. It made sense to him that he’d ignored it, that he’d pressed it back into the archives of his mind. A multitude of reasons would have prevented him from any indulgent ideas of pursuing her. Age, their shared history in the war, her associations with Potter, and the life debt that dangled between them were all reasons Severus could cite.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Severus entered the lab, it occurred to him that it was unlikely that she’d told either of the two blithering idiots she called </span>
  <em>
    <span>friends</span>
  </em>
  <span>. The boy wonder would have gone on a manhunt instantly, rallying the press around Hermione in a way to shield her from the scorn of society. Weasley would have ignored it and gone back to his wife, laughing about how he’d been the one to dodge a bullet. Never was there a match made in heaven like Ronald and Lavender Weasley. Idiots, the both of them, and they’d passed it to the little redhead that was gracing his first-year class.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Knowing that she had told no one but him, even under duress, established to him that she trusted him. To even come to him for the potion belied a level of trust. It also told him that she had planned to do this alone. He cursed every trait of Gryffindor bravado that made them think that only they had all the answers. Thanking his Slytherin sensibilities, he arrived with plenty of time to bottle the brew.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Attending diligently to his work, Severus almost did not hear the house-elf that placed a folded parchment on his desk. It was the pop that muffled through the protections from explosions that had him turning his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From Professor Granger, Professor Snape.” The house-elf bowed deeply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus saw the letter and nodded his head before turning to his work. He would read it when he was finished. He dismissed the elf with a flick of his hand. “Very good, Jocster.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>With one week’s volume of potions bottled and capped, Severus cleaned his hands before attending to the missive. Unfolding it, he prepared for anything. It was impossible to discern what Granger was feeling without seeing her, and the last thing he had seen on her face was shame.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Severus,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I have received your letter and your inquiry to my door guardian. I find myself indisposed to any sort of conversation as of this moment. I apologize for all the inconvenience and bother I have been to you. I will not make any decision regarding my problem curse condition and its registration until I have considered all my options.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I am aware that I am not deserving of your kindness, all things considered. I appreciate it never-the-less. I will reference my old textbook for the page you recommended.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Please deliver the potion to my office tomorrow. I have asked for my classes to be cancelled for the rest of the week. The answer to the riddle is ‘Electra by Euripides.’</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>My deepest and sincerest apologies,</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Hermione</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was not as bad as he had considered it to be, but the overwhelming apologetic nature of her words concerned him. Granger was no more in control of her need for sustenance than he was for his need for food, yet it was evident that it felt like a burden to her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Daft woman</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least he knew she wasn’t throwing away her life because he had been afraid of her harming a student. After the experience and knowledge that she could have killed him but did not, he assuaged any fear of that. Accidents could happen, but she’s shown admirable restraint even when she was starving.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His concerns at least addressed, Severus decided that he would do his best to retire for the evening. Even with taking a second blood replenishment potion, the event had left him a touch fatigued. Closing the lab for the night, he rubbed his shoulder, still feeling the healing scratches of her claws.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>For nearly two weeks, Granger avoided him like the plague. No, more so than the plague, as if he were a dementor set on taking her soul. Whenever there was a chance that they would be within any proximity, her eyes would avert to the ground, and she would excuse herself immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This behaviour did not surprise him, but it did earn him quite a few dirty looks from the rest of the staff. Apparently, Pince was not the pillar of secrets she esteemed herself to be, as every single one of them knew about him hoisting her over his shoulder and carrying her away like luggage. It was clear that Longbottom thought him a rogue who had harmed his friend, as the man was continually posturing and placing himself between the two of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It amused Severus on some level because since Longbottom had gained a backbone, there was no longer fear in his eyes. However, he really wanted to talk to Hermione and Longbottom had prevented it more than once. Severus wanted to go over what had happened, to apologize that he had not ensured that it did not devolve, and assure her that she was not to blame for needing to consume blood to survive.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The only thing that kept him from cornering her was that her letter had told him that she was considering the situation. Internally, Severus had set a deadline for this as he would not let her push herself into starvation again. Her skin was still bright and the layers of cosmetics were not there to make her appear human. He gauged her appearance and cross-referenced it with what he knew about the traditional feeding habits of vampires. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At least those that were recorded. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the testing phase of Dumsanguis, the subjects reported that it was comfortable until two weeks to be on the potion without feeding. At that point, they described the common signs of hunger, such as stomach pangs and cravings. He was using that two-week mark as a benchmark and deadline. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>If Granger had not made a decision by that time, he would confront her about it. There was no sense in her torturing herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And, in part, torturing him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As time went on, his right arm itched regularly where there were two white scarred circles. He knew what it meant, and he did everything to reverse it. No amount of potions, alcohol, or even his cigarettes removed the tingle from his mind. It wasn’t an addiction. He wasn’t throwing himself at Granger's feet and demanding that she feed on him again, but it was definitely his body reminding him that the experience would be welcomely repeated. Severus wanted her to choose to feed off him again.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t an addiction</span>
  </em>
  <span>, he reminded himself everyday. He did not show any of the classic signs. Severus simply knew that he’d liked it, that he’d never experienced something like it before, and he would happily do so again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But as far as he was concerned, it was not an addiction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vivid dreams didn’t help either. It seems that Severus's subconscious was fixated on her, on the carnal act they’d shared. In his dreams, it evolved into something more, and he found that while he slept, his mind was carrying on a rather sordid love affair with the idea of the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the 14th day, Severus prepared to confront her with the much-needed discussion. He’d started taking iron the day before and drank a replenisher with his morning coffee. It was not that he expected to have her accept the offer he had in mind immediately, but if she did, he did not want to be caught unprepared. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>After dinner, he made the trek to her rooms, mentally recounting everything that he’d considered saying to her over the weeks. He knocked on the door and the guardian regarded him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am here to see Professor Granger. I will stand here until she opens this door, so please tell her that trying my patience is something even she </span>
  <em>
    <span>knows</span>
  </em>
  <span> is a poor choice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He stood there for at least ten minutes, unwilling to move. Severus knew that Granger knew that he could stand there all night if he needed to. His tenacity was very well recorded and this was a cause that he thought worthy of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guardian finally offered an answer, moving to reveal a thick oaken door. “Very well.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened, Hermione letting him into her quarters with an admonished expression.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you for seeing me,” Severus said as he walked into the rooms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The windows had been draped, just like her classroom. The same floating orbs of light illuminated the room. Books and vials were clustered together, a collection of last week's vials resting in the rack, seemingly to return to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger moved around him, keeping as much distance as possible. “You did not give me a choice.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are correct. I did not. This has gone on long enough, and I will not have you putting yourself through starvation again; I have done a great deal of research over the week to know when that could start.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked at him as if he were speaking a language she did not comprehend. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Disregarding it, he continued. “Studies on Dumsanguis state that it is not ideal to go longer than two weeks without the consumption of blood. Study participants describe the process as rather uncomfortable. So I am here to talk about how you intend to proceed with this before you start suffering unduly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was as if she had not expected what was coming out of his mouth. Hermione took a seat, her hand coming to her forehead as she looked at the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have you thought about what it is you wish to do? Surely you cannot be considering going public with registering and opening yourself to that scorn?” Severus prodded, hoping that the influx of questions would spur her to talk to him as she seemed to be acting mute.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looked up at him, disbelief in her eyes, palms open to him. “How can you be here, offering to help me when I took advantage of you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus stumbled in his thoughts and looked at her now with the same confusion. “I beg your pardon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Obviously, she had taken something more from the interaction than he had assumed. Had her apologies not been for her need to feed, but what had happened as a result.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I took </span>
  <em>
    <span>advantage</span>
  </em>
  <span> of you. There was no way you were in your right mind, and I—well, you know what </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span>. How can you be here talking about helping me when I did that to you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was stunned into silence for a moment.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The very next thing he could think to do was laugh. Not a chuckle, but a bark of laughter that made him put his hand over his sternum echoed through the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Granger, while I will admit that I was under the effect of your venom, I can assure you that everything on my part was completely consented to. I do not feel as if you unduly took advantage. I had hesitations that you thought I had taken advantage of you, but I recall that we both agreed at the moment.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head at his rebuttal. “But you were not in your right mind; there was </span>
  <em>
    <span>no way</span>
  </em>
  <span> you would have agreed to that if you weren’t under my venom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus tilted his head at her, raising his left eyebrow. “Can you be so sure of that? Do you claim to know my own mind better than myself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While he had never shown anything more than disdain for her, his mind had clearly told him that he’d let her in more than any other teacher in the school. Except for Minerva and her, no one knew about his fourth-floor haunt or his habit he partook in there. Little by little, he had brought Granger into his confidence. The betting pool. The mental games they would indulge in when bored in meetings. They were all ways that he had been subconsciously showing his interest in her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It seemed she missed the signs just as much as he did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione stood now, rocking left to right on her feet. “Even now, how do I know that you aren’t saying it was something you wanted because you’ve gotten </span>
  <em>
    <span>addicted </span>
  </em>
  <span>to the sensation.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d been prepared for that question. He reached into his pocket, unshrinking one of the many books he’d tucked into his pocket. It was the most up to date research on magical addictions, not just to the vampire bite. “Read that; I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting the important text on the addiction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione took the tome from him, opening it the bookmark he’d placed. He quietly observed her as her eyes scanned over the pages. Her hands were slightly pale, and he noticed that she was in a thicker sweater than seasonable. Perhaps she would need less time between bloodmeals until she completely combatted the effects of her forced starvation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It says here that if you were addicted, there is nothing that you won’t do for another bite from me.” Her words broke his train of thought.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus nodded.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Correct, and I am here, not demanding it from you. If you told me to leave at this moment, I could do so willingly of my own volition.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fingers pressed into the tome, and she showed it to him, in both question and revelation. “And there is a potion that can cure and prevent addiction?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There is, but it is not done yet. It takes two full cycles to be potent enough.” Severus informed her. He’d purchased the ingredients as soon as he’d learned about it and had started it as soon as they arrived. It was relatively advanced, and it was a nice challenge to the monotony of Dumsanguis at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her jaw dropped slightly. “You are making it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am</span>
  <em>
    <span> serious</span>
  </em>
  <span> about my desire to help you, Granger.” He explained pointedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She closed the book, handing it back to him as she seemed to search him for something. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus exhaled, tucking the book away again. His reasons were many, and he did not want to spend the whole night going into them if he could avoid them. He’d spent two weeks doing that already. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The list is long, and the night is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>infinite</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Suffice to say, I have my reasons, and they revolve around two main points. One, this is not your fault, and there is no reason that the brightest witch of her age should be ostracized over something you did not make a choice in. And two, I know this might seem outlandish, but over the years of your tenure here, you have managed to endear yourself to me. It was not until I was faced with the prospect of you being removed from the castle and shamed that I realized that Hogwarts would be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>miserable</span>
  </em>
  <span> place for me if you were not in it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cannot believe I am hearing this.” Granger chuckled nervously as she put her hands on her temples. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus hummed in agreement with her statement, “I cannot believe I am saying it aloud either, but if I must trust you with my confessions as you have trusted me, then so be it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stopped, looking at him under the shade of her hands. Her brown eyes were wide, and she looked as if she was waiting for him to disappear. “You cannot honestly be willing to offer yourself to me. Severus, I could kill you. I could accidentally turn you; I could do irreparable damage.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All of this is true. You could do all those things. However, your actions have told me that you</span>
  <em>
    <span> won’t.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He held his hands out, shrugging. There were few that he would claim to have such faith in, and before two weeks ago, Granger would not have been one of them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Accidents happen!” She cried out, her hands jerking away from her face in frustration.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was no fool; he was well aware of the risks. “They do, and if one should happen, then we will cross that bridge when we get there, should you accept my offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a long moment, she just looked at him. Severus remained open in his body language, his hands at his sides even if he would have been more comfortable with them crossed. He needed to ensure that she understood he was coming to her with no demands, only a petition to assist her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She either saw what she wanted or didn’t; Severus wasn’t sure, but she sighed at him. “What is your offer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Swallowing, Severus inclined his head to her as he presented the plan he’d devised to ensure her privacy and her sanity. “I recommend that for the foreseeable future, twice a month, we make an arrangement that I come to you, or you come to me, and you take sustenance from my blood. I would feel more comfortable knowing where you were supping, and it would offer me insurance that no student in this castle is in danger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A steely firmness moved over her face, her teeth bared, but no fangs visible. “I would sooner die than harm one of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The collar around your neck is proof enough of that.” Severus gestured to the silver chain. “Now, in addition to this arrangement, I will continue to brew the potion for you. However, you will take it as it is </span>
  <em>
    <span>intended</span>
  </em>
  <span>, at the right volumes. Taking more than that with regular feeding is a waste of rather expensive ingredients.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have noticed I need less of it.” Her eyes trailed across the room. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He followed the gaze and saw that the vials from this week were only half gone, which by now, she would be nearly out if his calculations were correct. “A liter is enough for twenty days. You should only be taking 50ml a day, not counting the days you feed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her lips curled; Granger looked impressed. “Seems you have looked into it as much as I have.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In addition to my recent research, I do, in fact, </span>
  <em>
    <span>teach</span>
  </em>
  <span> Defense Against the Dark Arts, Granger—” Severus rolled his eyes at her. “—it is my job to know about these things. Regardless, there is one more matter that needs to be settled.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione raised an eyebrow at him now, crossing her arms. “Oh?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rose his full height, crossing his arms and breaking the image of openness that he’d been presenting to her. “I want to help you find out </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> did this to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—I wouldn’t even know where to start?” She stuttered, turning from him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have already taken that into consideration,” Severus admitted. He’d looked into the whole story she’d given him, watching it in a Pensieve to try to find any details that could lead him to a culprit. “If you agree, I will happily help you investigate until we have determined what foul game was at play here. Even you must know this wasn’t an accident. Someone had or has something to gain from turning you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have waited for someone to show up and try to hold it over me. Nothing has happened like that.” Her frown was deep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He imagined that the experience of waiting for the one to turned her to come for her would be something akin to waiting on the Dark Lord to call on him. Severus knew that it was not a comfortable feeling. “I think it might have been more for you to fail at concealing it. They may be watching and waiting for you to be at your weakest.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione nodded and then turned on him, eyes full of questions. “You still didn’t answer my question.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Which one?” Severus felt as if he had answered every rebuttal that she had presented relatively wholly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How can you be here offering this knowing that there is a chance that we will end up, well — </span>
  <em>
    <span>you having sex with me again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” She said it as if it was the worst thing on the planet that she could imagine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He understood now that she was more worried about what he felt about it rather than how she did. Severus was going to clearly affirm to her that it was not something he resented or did not want. “Granger, if I was not prepared for that possibility and open to it and slightly desirous for it, I would not be here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You cannot possibly mean that.” Her frown deepened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus closed the distance between them, his face inches from hers as he breathed out the words quietly. “I find I do not like how you assume to know me better than I know myself. Shall I prove to you,</span>
  <em>
    <span> without the intervention of your venom</span>
  </em>
  <span>, that I indeed mean it and find the prospect enticing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—” She startled, and her face curved into a smirk he’d seen before in the darkened halls. “Merlin, you smell </span>
  <em>
    <span>amazing</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that a yes you’d like me to demonstrate, or are you simply changing the subject?” He was unsure how he was meant to take her praise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her words were soft and laden with something that spread warmth over his skin. “Every time you are close to me, I cannot help it; you smell like dark chocolate and aged red wine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have eaten neither of those today.” Severus chuckled, watching her face as the devious smile rested on her lips. It made him realize that that night in the hall, what he had interpreted as her giving away her pleasure in being bitten was her enjoying the way he smelt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s what you taste like to me,” her words rumbled from her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He did not move, only giving her the briefest of smiles. “Shall I remove myself from your space?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I am in control of my hunger at this point,” Hermione said, inhaling. He felt her move almost imperceivably closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was the slightest tinge of red to her brown eyes, like red clouds over a sunset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus hmphed. “The slight haze in your eyes gives away your lie.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I could walk away if I wanted to,” Hermione offered, placing her palm on his chest. She did not push him away or pull him closer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her touch made his smile curl into a knowing smirk. “So, I assume you do not want to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus watched as she swallowed hard, her eyes closing tightly. She looked as if she was concentrating intently as she spoke to him. “Severus, what you are offering, it is more than I </span>
  <em>
    <span>deserve</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is the judge of that? You or me? I am the one </span>
  <em>
    <span>making</span>
  </em>
  <span> the offer.” The words rolled over his lips, and he wanted nothing more at that moment to show her precisely what he thought she was worth. There was no venom talking in his veins now, no outside source pushing this motivation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her eyes opened, giving him a weak apprehensive smile. “I suppose you are.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then, I judge you worthy.” Severus brought his hand to her face, cupping her chin. He sought her permission for more than the gentle touch of his fingers. “May I?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, please,” she pleaded and granted in the same breath.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus drew her into him, pressing a kiss to her lips that showed her precisely and exactly how he felt about her. Without the influence of the venom, there was no way that she could claim this was anything than his own will.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He kissed her deeply, his hand on the small of her back holding her to him. Hermione seemed to melt into, her hand moving from his chest to wrap around him, demanding the same closeness. What had gone from a show of desire turned into a heated amorous battle of tongues and teeth. Unfortunately, he still had to breathe, so he was the one who had to break from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Panting, he leaned his head against her forehead, eyes closed. “Do you believe me and accept my offer?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.” He heard her words slip into his ears and go right through him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus smirked, opening his eyes and clearly giving away his intentions. “Good, do you have a bedroom? I have no desire to wake up on the stone floor </span>
  <em>
    <span>again</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She licked her lips and nodded, pointing to an oak door at the back of the sitting area. “That door. Allow me to ask you again, are you</span>
  <em>
    <span> certain</span>
  </em>
  <span> this is what you want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He growled, pressing a kiss to her again, grabbing her by the hips and picking her up. Her legs seemed to instinctively wrap around him. Walking with her in his embrace, he got the door open. Sitting on the bed with her still in his arms, Severus bit her lower lip, sucking it between his before he broke for more air. “Does that satisfy your inquiry?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yes. I got the message clearly.” Hermione nodded, pressing the hair out of his face as she beamed a smile at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus was rather pleased he’d prepared for this because it seemed like it was going to turn out exactly as he had hoped.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Love for CorvusDraconis who is an amazing beta and did so while having an incredibly hard night at work last night &lt;3</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>What followed was a night unlike anything Severus had ever experienced before. A consummation of their agreement evolved into more, with Granger sating her need for blood well into the night. He was convinced his heart nearly gave out at least twice, but not from the bloodletting, but from the sheer pleasure and force of his orgasms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione was more awake and alert in the night hours. Severus discovered it was not a fluke that she’d taken charge the first time they had sex in the potion's lab. She had a dominant streak and was not afraid to tell him exactly what she wanted and demand it of him. It was one of the few times he thanked Merlin for her bossy nature. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the sun rose, or at least, he assumed when it rose, Granger succumbed to the sleep that came with a full belly and sated libido.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus debated dressing and leaving her to sleep in peace, but something about having her naked body wrapped around him dismissed the notion. Before he too submitted to the demands of slumber, he summoned his pants to him, taking one of the blood replenishers that he’d brought just in case. He had no desire to have low blood pressure when he woke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A normal man would have considered the fact it would be dangerous to fall asleep in the arms of a vampiress, but Severus was not a normal man. Part of him realized she provided something he needed as much as Severus did for her. He’d lived most of his life not knowing if each day would be his last. For the last decade and a half, he did not have that. The danger of her, of her proximity, seemed to resurrect that vigilance in him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus felt alive for the first time in a long time. Not merely existing, but alive. He would have sworn she fucked the life back into him, but he’d already spouted off enough nonsense in a small time frame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Satisfied with his gambit's outcome in confronting her, Severus drew his arms around her, tucking his face into bushy brown hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn’t even occur to him that he did not crave a cigarette for the first time post-coitus.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span> When they rose in the afternoon, Hermione showed surprise he’d stayed with her through the night. Her squeak made him open his eyes to see her staring at him bewildered. “I didn’t expect to wake with you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not in the habit of spending the night, I admit, but it did not seem right to leave you.” Severus yawned, rolling over on to his back. He stretched his body out along the bed, not showing any shame of his nudity. If it bothered her after all that they’d done the night before, that was her issue.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He could feel her eyes on him as she questioned him. “How do you feel?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Marvelously,” Severus smirked, turning on his side to face her. “A touch sore, and that is entirely all your fault.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you traditionally so cheeky when you wake up?” A chuckle escaped her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus shrugged. “I am not sure; I customarily wake alone. You will have to gauge if this is normal if you would like me to stay the night with you regularly as a part of this arrangement.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, you still want to help me?” Her brown eyes widened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The laugh that escaped him was unavoidable. “Was last night supposed to dissuade me from helping you? If so, you are terrible at it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A pillow smacked him soundly across the face as she sighed at him. “I want to make sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I enjoyed myself and do not find it a burden to assist you.” He explained, seizing the pillow from her and tucking it under his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was pleasant,” Granger blushed, her eyes moving as if she was looking back. “Yes, but what if I had lost control? There were a few points where I thought I was going to lose my mind.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You did not.” He quipped. “My trust in you was not misplaced.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her face dropped slightly. “I am afraid of killing you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus leaned across the bed, pushing away her mane of hair as he was compelled to soothe away the concern in her voice. “Granger, it is going to take more than some blood loss and an enthusiastic night long shag to kill me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is so disconcerting to hear you say the word ‘shag.’” She giggled, one of her hands coming to cover her mouth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yet, you had no issue with doing it.” He smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione moved her hand over his, her fingers lining up with his. “I’m still ratifying the images of you as a man and you as Severus Snape.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The statement both confused and amused him, and he tilted his head at her. “Have I not been a man to you before.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More like a foreboding entity.” Granger closed the gap, pressing a kiss to his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His fingers curled into her hair as he returned it in equal measure.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was her that drew back, a sly smile on her face as she drew her tongue over her lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He rose his eyebrows. “Granger, if you keep that up, we are not going to get out of his bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You sound as if that is an issue for you.” Her hands moved up over his chest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Drawing his eyes over her bare skin, Severus cleared his throat. “Am I to believe that you desire more of me, the foreboding being that you are recently realizing is a man?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think some more exposure will help rectify that.” Hermione slid closer, nearly in his lap at this point.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slipping his hands around her, he pulled her the rest of the way on to him, grinning. “Far be it from me to deny you that.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>What was supposed to be twice a month turned into twice a week. Severus found he preferred to be in her company than not. It wasn’t only due to her biological needs, but because of her conversation. Now that some unseen barrier between them had been breached, they could discuss in-depth topics openly. He found she was his equal in many subjects and his superior in some as well. The best nights were those that he learned something new that had him thinking about it the next day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Since they had been involved, Granger suggested it be presented to the staff they were romantically involved. It would prevent other speculation and stop Neville from acting as if Severus was some villain. Usually, Severus would have resisted, but it made sense to him to create a reason that they would be seen going to and from each other's quarters. Minerva appeared pleased with herself, and Severus had to keep from rolling his eyes at her meddling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once Hermione was no longer suffering from any sign of what she’d put herself through, it was time to look for the culprit of her condition. Even though the trail was likely cold, Severus wanted her to take him to the spot where she woke up. They arranged to go in the late evening so that the sun would not bother her.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>It was an ill-kept alleyway, with refuse and broken furniture piled up along the buildings. Hermione showed him that she had woken up curling against a brick wall in the middle of the lane. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her body language was tense as she guided him through what she experienced from waking up. His hand rested in the small of her back, and Severus tried to provide her with comfort as they searched for any signs of other vampire activity. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nothing came up on any spell. There were no symbols to indicate that a coven was near. Granger got her hands on a codex of vampire cant that they used to tell each other where they were. Apparently, Slughorn had a book on it that he’d borrowed from his companion Sanguini. That was a relationship that Severus did not want to know more about, but he was grateful that the old man had it available to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They turned a corner, and an older woman put her rubbish in the bin behind a restaurant. She scanned over the two of them, then smiled at Hermione, putting her hand on her hip. “Wondered if you would come back. You doing alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Pardon?” Hermione looked around and then at her with confusion.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman wiggled her finger at Granger. “I remember that hair, girl. Where is the blonde man you were with?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I know you?” Granger seemed confused.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus observed the conversation between them, wondering if she was a part of what had happened to Hermione. His eyes flicked up and down the alley, ensuring they were not in some manner of ambush.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not really.” The woman crinkled her face. “But I remember you. You and that bloke were having a nasty row back here. Thought he was hurting ya with how you were screaming.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t remember any of this. I had an accident, and I am trying to figure out what happened.” Hermione’s voice sounded desperate. “How long ago was this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was summer last you was here.” The woman explained, waving her hand in the air.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus cleared his throat and interjected with his question. “What happened?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said, they were back here screaming like she was being murdered. Me and a few boys from the bar came round, and the lad, not you o’ course, said they were having a row, and then they kissed and made up.” The woman explained.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione produced a disgruntled noise.“We kissed?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, a bit too much so for decent folk eyes.” The woman shook her head with a wrinkled nose. “We left ya be, and then you was gone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What did the man I was with look like?” Hermione asked before Severus could get to the punch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman appeared thoughtful for a moment before speaking. “Not as tall as him, and blonde, white blonde. Dressed like he didn’t belong here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was I hurt? Did I look like I was hurt?” Hermione moved forward toward the woman. Hermione’s shoulders were up and tight, her hands closed and tucked up to her chest like she was trying to protect herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was easy to tell that she was upset.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that I could see. You didn’t fight him back when he kissed ya, and we just assumed it was a domestic going on.” Their information shrugged.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger deflated and sighed. “Thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The muggle woman looked back and forth between him and Hermione with a frown. “You not about to have another row with this un here, are ya?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, ma’am,” Severus said as he moved to tuck an arm around Hermione.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Seemingly pleased with this information, the woman waved her hand off to them. “Good luck finding out what happened to ya.” She shut the door behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus and Hermione locked their eyes simultaneously; they seemed to have the same conclusion. “Malfoy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can still apparate there. We should go right now.” Severus was eager to get to the bottom of this. If a Malfoy had been the one to turn her, then he would be settling a few scores by taking care of the problem.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione shook her head, her hands moving to his chest. “Which one, which Malfoy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus shook his head, considering the options.“We ask when we get there.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus, what if they both are vampires.” She expressed her fear as it took hold of her face as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus tsked and tucked a finger under her chin, holding her gaze. “I came prepared to teach the coward who did this to you a lesson. If it needs to be a group lesson, then I will accommodate for that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But what if they overpower you.” Hermione’s fingers dug into the sides of his frockcoat, pulling him to her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The closeness made him smirk. “I am sure that you will protect me should I fall under their spell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Something in Granger’s eyes changed; a flash of red anger crossed brown eyes. “You are </span>
  <em>
    <span>mine</span>
  </em>
  <span>. And if they think they are going to change that, then they don’t know me well enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus wasn’t sure how he felt about being called hers. It wasn’t unsatisfactory to him, but it wasn’t something they’d discussed. And it wasn’t something they had time to discuss now either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We will have to talk about that sentiment more in-depth later. Hold on.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus wrapped his arms around her, closing his eyes, and with a resounding crack, they left the refuse-filled alleyway for manicured grounds inhabited by peacocks.</span>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>I want to thank everyone who has commented on this and given kudos.<br/>I also want to thank CorvusDraconis, who has been amazingly inspirational to me.</p><p>I hope this ending suits you.<br/>Happy Halloween!</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Malfoy Manor greeted them under the curtain of a brewing storm. Dark clouds curled and rumbled, darkening the navy sky. Pregnant with the threat of rain, these cumulonimbus pressed against the background, obscuring the stars and the sliver of the moon present in the sky.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus tucked his arm around Hermione’s as he walked through the marble gates. The wards let him through without pause, and since she was in contact with him, it offered her no resistance either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay close to me.” He required.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no knowing what lay ahead, but he was resolute on the fact that justice for her condition would be served, and he would find the culprit. Even if the Malfoys had not been the cause of it, it was unlikely that they did not know who had turned Granger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her fingers were pressed into the wool of his coat tightly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Flicking his wand, the heavy golden door knock lifted and banged loudly four times. The sound of the banging seemed to carry across the entire grounds, as if it were under the affect of a Sonorus charm. Severus did not remember it being so loud in the past, but then again, it had been a long time since he’d graced these grounds with his presence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opened and a house-elf, wearing a tea towel with a silver M blazed on it, bowed deeply. “The Master of the House wishes to know who knocks at his door on such an ominous night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus remembered this elf, the one that Lucius had required to speak properly. It was the unofficial butler of the house and the Malfoy’d had wanted to impress guests with how refined even their servants were.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell your master that Severus Snape and his companion are here to speak with him on an urgent matter.” He ordered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The creature bowed deeply and with a wave of its hand, the heavy door swung open. “Yes, Master Snape. Please step inside and I shall fetch him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They stepped into the expansive atrium of the house. He felt her grip on him tighten almost painfully.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Inclining his head to her ear, he breathed against it.“What is the matter?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I haven’t been here since the war and the whole house smells like—familiar. I expect that is what another vampire smells like,” Hermione rumbled anxiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He’d not taken into account the fact that this was the place she’d been held captive and tortured. Severus internally cursed, pulling her fingers from his arm before the bruised him. His hand snaked around her back, drawing her under his arm and to his side. It was meant to offer her security and the unspoken promise of his protection.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius Malfoy was announced in his approach by the click of his cane against the marble flooring</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus! I did not expect you—” The blonde man stopped his eyes falling over the woman under his arm. “Miss </span>
  <em>
    <span>Granger</span>
  </em>
  <span>! Well, this is a </span>
  <em>
    <span>surprise</span>
  </em>
  <span> to see the both of you so close. Come to the parlour, I am sure you have something of import to speak of if it has drawn you to my door at this hour.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The elder Malfoy turned his back to them, gesturing with his hand for them to follow.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Guiding Hermione along, he paused when she did. Pressing to her tiptoes, her lips almost touched his ear. “It is not him. He has a heartbeat.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nodding, Severus pressed on with her at his side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>In the lavish room, Narcissa Malfoy was reclined in a chaise, her fingers delicately pressing a needle with colourful floss through a stretched piece of silk. “It is unexpected that we have guests at this hour. Do you come bearing some manner of news?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I came for your assistance in a matter.” Severus bowed his head politely to the Lady of the House.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius had taken a seat in a high back chair, his leg crossing over the other. One of his hounds sat at the side of the chair and it lifted its head appraisingly before lowering it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that we are always open to offering aid to our friends and—” Lucius’s eyes fell over the way they stood. “— their friends, if need be.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus knew that the man had all manner of devious ideas of what they were here for by the way his eyes seemed to hold humour. “I am aware of this yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please sit, would you like a drink?” Narcissa offered, gesturing to a sofa across from her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus considered at Hermione, raising an eyebrow. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger shook her head, and he understood it implied Narcissa was not a vampire either. Relinquishing his arm from around her, Severus took a seat, taking her hand in his to guide her into the furniture beside him. “No, thank you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What can I help you with, Severus?” Lucius asked, his fingers rolling the snake’s head of his cane.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione spoke up, looking around. “Where is Draco?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ah, he is not here at present, Miss Granger. He keeps his own hours now that he is a grown man.” Lucius drawled, head rocking to the side in curiosity.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was Draco’s mother who spoke up subsequently, her relaxed state growing tense. “Has he done something? Is he in danger.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus lifted his hand to calm the woman. He was in no mood for one of Narcissa’s fits of maternal protection. He’d seen enough of them to last a lifetime. “I aim to find out, Narcissa. Have you noticed anything off about Draco? New habits or unsavoury associates?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I cannot say that I have. He spends his nights out and lingers here throughout the day.” Narcissa answered, setting the needlepoint down on the chaise beside her. Her lips were thin with obvious worry.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius leaned forward in his chair. “Has he gotten himself into something Severus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus and Hermione looked at each other and then Severus sighed, meeting the elder Malfoy’s gaze. “Forgive the implication, but do the Malfoys have any connections with vampires?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Malfoy leaned, his cane resting against his knee as his hands joined in front of him. He seemed to consider the question before answering. “Only when it comes to certain business dealings. It is a lucrative business investing in those who brew for the population exclusively.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand,” Severus answered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he could say another word, however, Hermione was up from his side. Her face seemed to be blank as if she were not present as she moved, leaving the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss Granger?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus stood and moved to her side. “Hermione.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was no response or recognition in her eyes of him, and she simply moved around him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus turned on Lucius, who had come to his side. “Lucius, are you confident that Draco is not home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I—I am not sure, why?” Lucius seemed to pale at the expression Severus wore.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Growling, he turned, following the quickening pace of Hermione’s egress. “I have much to explain to you, old friend, if I am correct. We should follow her.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>It was like a swan song—  graceful, melodic and signifying the death of something beautiful. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione could not deny its draw, there was nothing in her but it’s call and the need, the hunger it rose in her. Feet carrying her toward it, obstacles navigated on instinct, there was nothing that could come between her and the pursuit of its sources.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Through a door, she stopped, beholding that which had summoned her. Pale, beautiful, and naked, Draco lingered over the failing body of an equally exquisite woman. His red eyes gazed up at her, a feral grin on his lips, as the smallest drop of red touched his alabaster chin. Sweeping his tongue over the spot, he stood up, staring at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You,” Hermione growled as the sensation that overtook her senses waned with the last heartbeat of the woman draped across the bed. “You did this to me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was wondering how long it would take for you to find me, Granger. I admit I was surprised you weren’t discovered on your first feeding.” Draco smirked, moving toward her. “Look at you now, so well-fed, so bright and beautiful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She jerked a step back. “Why did you do this to me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rolling his eyes, Draco shook his head. “You are never grateful, are you? You are the brightest witch of your age, a fucking Muggle-born genius, and you were never grateful for that. I have given you the gift of forever and you still cannot be grateful.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Grateful—” she shrieked at him.  “—for you leaving me to die? For you killing me? For turning me into—into this creature!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was not the end goal, I assure you.” He crossed his arms. “When I found you in that restaurant, reading and sipping on white wine, I was merely going to kill you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why even come for me at all? What did I do to you?” Hermione demanded. All this was not making sense to her, she’d kept him from prison, she’d done everything she could to help him get back his life after the war. He had deserved it, being a child too and manipulated by circumstances he could not control.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You get to live on in the light as a fucking hero while I feast on the crumbs in the night as a slightly redeemed villain. You get to have everything that should be mine, by birthright!” Draco hissed, his fangs showing under lifted lips</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shaking her head, Hermione refuted his indignant claim.“I did nothing but clear your name, so you didn’t go to Azkaban.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A mirthless chuckle left him. He bowed mockingly, his hand tucking behind his back. “Oh and I should thank you for this half-life, I suppose, where the Malfoy name means less than it should?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is not my fault!” Hermione barked. “I did not force you into this as you did me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Never a Gryffindor’s fault.” Draco advanced again, his eyes narrowed. “Never the Gryffindor Princess’ fault. I was just going to kill you, but as you were slowly dying I realized I could have better vengeance. Fuck with your whole way of life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione shirked from his advance. “You’re horrible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The pride of Gryffindor Tower, the beacon of knowledge, strayed to the darkness away from the light, a true monster, just like </span>
  <em>
    <span>the rest of us.</span>
  </em>
  <span>” He mocked her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a monster.” She jerked her head up at him defiantly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look in the mirror darling?” He paused, considering his words for a moment as if he had misspoken. “Wait, we cannot do that anymore. Let me describe to you the monstrous way you look now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Draco stood before her now, reaching a clawed hand for her hair.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shoved his hand away, growling at him. “Don’t touch me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you think you can stop me?” Draco made the attempt again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She snatched his arm in his hand. Hermione felt the bubbling of her rage in her chest. “You took everything from me. You stole the sun from me, you stole my ability to live normally. You are the monster, not me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you going to do Granger? Kill me?” Draco mocked her, seemingly unphased by her show of anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her body vibrated with something she couldn’t put into words. Repressed emotions rose to the surface, boiling over and breaking her control. One hand moved to her neck, and she wordlessly removed her collar, the thing that prevented her from letting that drive take hold. Letting it clatter to the ground, she growled at Draco, detecting her teeth elongate with her anger.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not a bad idea,” Hermione answered, for the first time since her awakening, giving in to the bloodlust of her nature.</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>Severus forced the door open, having been fighting with it since it closed behind Hermione. Even Lucius, the master of the estate, could not get the magic to bend to his will. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was screaming, tell-tale signs of a fight and then silence. When the silence befell the hall, the door finally gave way, permitting them entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione was perched over a naked Draco, her mouth attached to his neck. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A wash of jealously and concern overcame him. It was only because he had to stop Lucius from charging forward and getting himself hurt did Severus not advance angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hermione,” He called out to her, hoping that she was in her own mind. He had no desire to have to harm her after all they’d been through.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lucius hissed quietly. “You brought a vampire into my home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your son is a vampire—” Severus dropped the news on him unceremoniously. “—Lucius, and he turned her against her will and I believe he killed that woman.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione lifted, tilting her head back. “Severus.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am here, are you sane?” He asked, his hand still holding Lucius at bay. He would not want the older man to be caught in a blood frenzy of two vampires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No.” Her hand held up to them. “Stay back. I am safe, but, he.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pale naked Draco surveyed them, eyes red and skin grotesquely pale. He reached out a clawed hand weakly toward them. “Don’t let her kill me, my father.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why did you turn her against her will and leave her for dead, Draco?” Severus questioned, his eyes narrowed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The vampire made a gargling noise and then hissed as Granger tightened her hold on his throat. “To fuck with her life, to show her she was just like the rest of us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Severus?” Lucius’s voice wavered as he seemed to take all this in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus turned to his old friend and gestured for him to exit the room. “I will explain momentarily.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The eldest Malfoy looked defeated, but he stepped out of the room, turning his face from his son on the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Father,” Draco whined.</span>
</p><p>
  <span> Severus sighed and examined at the scene. “Hermione, as it was your life he stole in the night, I will leave you to decide his fate. Unless you need my help.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a monster. I will not—” Hermione was cut off as Draco reached up and clutched her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His words came out like a curse, spitting and hissing each syllable. “I will hunt down everyone you love, I will force you to watch as I kill each of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her expression changed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus noticed the silver chain on the floor by his feet. Picking it up, he watched as she leaned into Draco.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not a monster, but I will gladly stop one,” Granger snarled, and she sunk her fangs into his neck again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus moved over the body of the woman on the bed, who he’d known was dead from the start. Granger would have never left someone who was still alive and in need of help to fight someone. It had been the principal reason he was still alive. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The noises from the two people on the floor would have turned the stomach of someone unfamiliar with death, but Severus was no such person.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a big mistake you made Draco, you don’t get to fuck with Granger.” He smirked. “That is</span>
  <em>
    <span> my</span>
  </em>
  <span> job.”</span>
</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>
  <span>The death of Draco Malfoy had gone quietly through the news. It was said to be an overdose of an addictive substance. Severus had helped ensure it was not known he was a vampire, both to protect Lucius and Narcissa from additional scorn and to conceal Hermione’s part in it.  It had taken time, but Lucius had come to terms with the death of his son. The friendship that had spanned decades between Severus and Lucius weathered it as well. No ill blood was born from it, and Lucius had waived all rights to vengeance against Granger for the spilling of Malfoy blood. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus knew it was because Lucius felt as if he had failed her in not realizing what his son had become. How Draco had come to be a creature of the night was untold, there was no evidence to point them in a direction. Draco did, however, write in great detail how he had found his own sire and drained him dry in vengeance of his cursed life. By Hermione avenging herself upon Draco, she had managed to prevent the investment contacts of Lucius not seeking vengeance on the family. It had, in its own way, been beneficial to everyone involved.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Malfoys both agreed to a taboo on ever admitting that Hermione was a vampire in exchange for an oath that she would never seek vengeance on them for what Draco had done to her. It was something both parties were willing to agree to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was—refreshingly Slytherin. Old habits, it seemed, had an unlife of their own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>With the fear of some boggart coming up and shaking her whole world gone, Granger had settled into her unlife. At least, to Severus, it appeared that way. The death of her sire had freed her from any ties holding her to any other vampire. She was what Sanguini, the vampire companion of Slughorn, had called, a free agent. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their arrangement continued, albeit adjusted. There was no longer a farce of their romantic involvement. They both came to terms, it was not merely the potent bite she offered or the aromatic blood he provided that kept them in each other's company. Many nights they spent together had no blood-meal involved at all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They were intellectually compatible, and both understood the darkness of the world more than they would have liked. It bred in them a companionship that was impossible to find elsewhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It also helped Severus expressed clearly that he never wanted to see her taking blood from anyone but him ever again. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Granger had found his jealousy ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>cute</span>
  </em>
  <span>’.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Severus had been deadly serious. For as long as his body could provide for her, he wanted to be the only one she sought sustenance from. He wanted to be the one who her hands, lips, and body touched, and only him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Which is why a year later, on a rainy, gloomy and ominous October night, the silver chain around her neck was replaced with a silver ring around her finger and a promise of life forever as his wife. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the eve of his poignant revelation that a life without Granger in it was no life at all, he cast the last and final pack of fags into the fire with no regret. He no longer needed them to cope with his questionably accursed past or the seemingly terminal case of living.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>